Pompeo sees Japan, S. Korea FMs as new sanctions hit N. Korea

WASHINGTON >> Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Tuesday with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts to discuss stalled nuclear talks with North Korea and stress the importance of America’s relationship with both countries.

The meeting in California came as the Treasury Department announced new sanctions on North Korea for failing to comply with a U.N. requirement to bring home guest workers that provide the isolated nation with much needed foreign currency.

Pompeo’s discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in Palo Alto, California, also came as the Trump administration continues to send signals to Pyongyang that it’s willing to resume talks on dismantling the North’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

In a three-way meeting, Pompeo, Kang, and Motegi spoke of the importance of their alliances “to security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world,” the State Department said. “They also stressed that trilateral cooperation is essential to ensure the future of peace in the region.”

President Donald Trump and his national security aides have said repeatedly in recent days that they would like to return to the negotiating table with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has shunned talks with the U.S. since a failed attempt to restart talks in Sweden in October.

U.S. officials, including national security adviser Robert O’Brien, have said they are reaching out to the North with that message. O’Brien said Sunday that Washington is hopeful for a positive response since Kim did not follow through on a threat to deliver a “Christmas gift” to the U.S. that many believed could have been a new nuclear or longrange missile test.