CIA chief ‘ met Kim’
> Talks on formally ending Korean War on agenda
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump gave his blessing to talks aimed at formally ending the Korean War in a series of diplomatic revelations on Tuesday, as reports said CIA director Mike Pompeo ( pix) had met Kim Jong Un during a secret visit to Pyongyang.
Raising expectations for a major breakthrough at a series of upcoming summits, Trump said “a great chance to solve a world problem” is within reach on the Korean peninsula.
The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two sides technically still in a state of conflict, and the Demilitarised Zone between them bristles with minefields and fortifications.
Seoul officials say they are looking at ways to secure a new agreement, with Kim and the South’s President Moon Jae-in due to meet next week.
“We are looking at changing the current armistice regime to a peace regime,” an official of the presidential Blue House said yesterday.
The comments came after the US president said at his Palm Beach resort in Florida that the inter-Korean summit could, with his “blessing”, discuss a peace treaty to formally close the conflict.
“People don’t realise the Korean War has not ended. It’s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war.
“Subject to a deal they have my blessing and they do have my blessing to discuss that,” he said.
Trump and Kim have not spoken directly, the White House said, but the American president confirmed that Washington and Pyongyang had been in contact at “very high levels” to prepare for a historic meeting between them.
The Washington Post reported that Pompeo had met Kim on a secret trip to the North over the first weekend of April, shortly after he was nominated to be secretary of state.
Both the White House and the CIA declined to comment on the report.
“Five locations” were being considered for the summit with Kim, Trump said.
“That will be taking place probably in early June or before that assuming things go well. It’s possible things won’t go well and we won’t have the meetings and we’ll just continue to go on this very strong path we have taken.”
US officials say that no decision has yet been made on a meeting venue, but China, North Korea, South Korea, and Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas are seen as possible locations. – AFP