Kim Jong-un's envoy had dinner with Mike Pompeo in New York on Wednesday night to try to reinstate plans to hold a summit between Donald Trump and the North Korean leader.

Kim Yong-chol, a 73-year-old general described as the ultimate regime insider, is the highest North Korean official to visit the United States in almost 20 years. The previous top ranking envoy was Jo Myong-rok, a vice marshal, sent to Washington DC in 2000.

Mr Kim, who had to be granted a waiver from sanctions to travel, landed at New York's JFK airport on Wednesday afternoon.

He was head of the RGB, North Korea's spy service, from 2009 to 2016 during the time the spy agency is believed responsible for the 2010 torpedoing of a South Korean naval vessel, the Cheonan, in which 46 sailors were killed.

He was also in charge of the agency during the 2014 hacking attack against Sony.