Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, was previously banned from travel as part of US sanctions after being accused of masterminding the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 that lead to the deaths of 46 sailors.
But working with the US to get around the blacklisting, Seoul welcomed the Pyongyang official to the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
And taking his seat, the Kim regime henchman place himself within arms reach of the President’s daughter – who serves in his administration as an unpaid senior advisor.
The two were not seen to engage with one another however, only interacting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Earlier this month President of the Korea Association of DMZ Studies Son Gi-woong suggested Ivanka could be key to opening up talks between the US and the Kim regime after a bellicose war of words between the leaders of the two states.
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Mr Son claimed that with Ivanka’s help “there can be indirect dialogue and it can prepare an important next step for a summit.”
It comes as the US confirmed it would refuse to stop economic sanctions pressuring North Korea to end its nuclear program yesterday – just hours after Kim Jong-un’s rogue state admitted Pyongyang is open to talks with Washington.
The White House stressed the economic sanctions must continue as Donald Trump continues to ramp up the pressure on Kim Jong-un.
In a statement, the White House said: “We will see if Pyongyang’s message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearisation.
“In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are a dead end.”
The statement from Washington was in direct response to senior officials from Pyongyang, who revealed North Korea was open to talks with the US.
In Pyeongchang for the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, the visiting delegation also said developments in relations between the two Koreas and between North Korea and the US should go hand in hand, the South’s presidency said in a statement.
The delegation met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at an undisclosed location in the Olympic city.