New nuke rebuke N. Korea big stings Pompeo over U.S. pressure
Secretary of State Pompeo delivered a letter from President Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Saturday before trading barbs with his counterpart over ongoing sanctions.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho welcomed Pompeo to a security summit in Singapore with a smile, but later delivered a scathing attack on the Trump administration on sanctions enforcement while calling for denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.
Ri said Pyongyang would not be forced into acting unilaterally and demanded that the U.S. undertake “confidence building” measures if negotiations are to be successful.
Pompeo had earlier warned Russia, China and other countries against any violation of international sanctions on North Korea that could reduce pressure on the North to abandon its nuclear weapons.
He later tweeted that that he and Ri had a cordial encounter.
“We had a quick, polite exchange,” Pompeo wrote. “Our U.S. delegation also had the opportunity to deliver (Trump’s) reply to Chairman Kim’s letter.”
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert confirmed that Trump’s reply to Kim was given to Ri by Sung Kim, the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines who has been at the forefront of logistical negotiations with the North on its pledge to abandon its nuclear arsenal.
Nauert would not say what was in Trump’s letter.
The White House said earlier in the week that Kim had sent a new letter to Trump and that the President had written a response.
The two leaders met in June and Kim pledged to work toward denuclearization. Trump has touted the talks as a success.
However, North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs — in violation of United Nations sanctions, according to a confidential UN report seen by Reuters on Friday.
Pompeo also had a message for countries attempting to bypass UN imposed sanctions.