South Korean unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon departed the ROK on Tuesday morning for a five-day visit to United States, in which he is widely expected to hold talks with high-ranking government officials and experts on North Korean issues.

The visit is the first of its kind by a sitting unification minister since a trip to the U.S. by then-minister Ryoo Kihl-jae in December 2014, and will see Cho visit Washington DC and New York for the Ministry of Unification (MOU)-hosted Korea Global Forum.

But while local media has reported that Cho is likely to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during