US STATE SECRETARY IN NORTH KOREA TO SEEK CONCRETE NUCLEAR COMMITMENTS
PYONGYANG— Washington’s top diplomat embarked on an intense day of negotiations with his North Korean counterpart Saturday as the old foes strive to flesh out a tentative nuclear disarmament plan.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was ensconced in an elegant Pyongyang guest house for a second day of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s righthand man Kim Yong-chol.
It was not clear if Pompeo would be granted an audience with the Northern leader himself as he tries to develop a detailed road map towards the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula, as agreed by Kim and US President Donald Trump last month.
But talks continued at a large guest villa in an official compound in Pyongyang, a short distance from the imposing mau- soleum where North Korea’s former helmsmen, Kim’s grandfather and father, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il lie in state.
As the day began, Pompeo left the compound to go to a location where he could make a secure call to Trump away from potential surveillance, then returned to restart talks at around 9 a.m.
Brief exchange
Kim Yong-chol asked Pompeo if he has slept well on his first overnight stay in the country. Pompeo confirmed that he had, and the pair had a brief exchange before reporters were asked to leave the room.
“We consider this very important too since it is the first senior-level face-to-face meeting since the summit between our two leaders. President Trump is committed to a brighter future for North Korea,” Pompeo said.
Things to clarify
“So the work that we do the path toward complete denuclearization building a relationship between our two countries is vital for a brighter North Korea and the success that our two presidents demand of us.” Kim replied: “Of course it is important. There are things that I have to clarify.” “There are things that I have to clarify as well,” Pompeo responded.
Last month, Kim and Trump met in Singapore and signed an historic joint statement committing Pyongyang to “work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” in exchange for US “security guarantees” and a lasting peace in the decades-old stand-off.
Crisis over?
But rather than the two leaders crowning years of detailed negotiation with their one-onone meeting, the short statement marked instead the start of a diplomatic long slog and Trump earned the scorn of Korea watchers and nonproliferation experts when he declared the crisis over.
The task of establishing the disarmament program now falls to Pompeo, who is seeking a formal declaration by the North of the size of its nuclear program as well as an eventual timetable for it to be stood down under international verification and inspection.
Pompeo, accompanied by senior State Department and CIA officials, held several hours of talks on Friday evening and had a working dinner with Kim Yong-chol at which both were “cracking jokes” and “exchanging pleasantries,” according to US spokesperson Heather Nauert.