Iran Press/ Asia: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has headed to the Korean Peninsula, in an attempt to revive stalled talks between US, North Korea, and South Korea.
Pompeo left Japan for North Korea on Sunday, hoping that upcoming negotiations would lead North Korea to abandon its military nuclear program, according to a Press TV report.
“Next stop Pyongyang to meet with Chairman Kim and continue our work to fulfil the commitments made (by) POTUS and Chairman Kim," Pompeo tweeted, using an acronym to refer to president of the United States, Donald Trump.
The United States Secretary of State arrived in Pyongyang on the same day when he had a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to discuss denuclearization process. The trip was Pompeo's fourth to Pyongyang.
Related news:
North Korea: denuclearization impossible if Washington follows “outdated acting script”
After visiting North Korea, Mike Pompeo arrived in South Korea on Sunday.
According to Reuters, the U.S. government plane carrying Pompeo’s delegation landed at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, at around 5:15 p.m.
Related news:
Pompeo: North Korea's weapons program continues
Pompeo to discuss North Korea, China in his Hanoi visit
Pompeo meets Japanese foreign minister after talks in Pyongyang
Pompeo met South Korean president Moon Jae-in at 1000 GMT in Seoul before holding talks with his counterpart Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, according to Moon’s office.
The two sides agreed to "continue talks to decide on the specific time and location for the second summit", Pompeo told South Korean President Moon Jae-in, following his meeting with Kim in Pyongyang earlier Sunday.
The top US diplomat spent the first leg of an Asian tour in Tokyo on Saturday and will also visit China before returning to the US on Monday.
On the flight to Tokyo, Pompeo said his aim was to “develop sufficient trust” between Washington and Pyongyang to move toward peace, adding that, “We are also going to set up the next summit.”
Related news:
Pompeo: United States seeks peace with North Korea
However, he played down the prospects of a breakthrough. Pompeo said: “I doubt we will get it nailed but begin to develop options for both location and timing for when Chairman Kim will meet with the president again. Maybe we will get further than that.”
Trump and Kim held their first meeting in Singapore on June 12, signing a broadly-worded document on mutual goals. Talks between the two sides have had little progress since then.
Pyongyang says Washington has betrayed the spirit of the June summit by making unilateral demands for denuclearization first without taking any reciprocal measures, including for past North Korean goodwill steps.
Trump cancelled a previously planned trip by Pompeo to Pyongyang over what he described as insufficient progress toward implementing the terms of the Singapore document.
Related news:
Pompeo Reads Out Trump's Letter Canceling U.S.-North Korea Summit
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told the United Nations last month that continued sanctions against his country were deepening the rift of mistrust with the US and there was no way Pyongyang would abandon its nuclear weapons unilaterally under such circumstances.
Read More:
Pompeo leaves for North Korea for Nuclear Talks
Pompeo meets South Korea's Moon in Seoul
Pompeo meets North Korean officials over its' nuclear program
Pompeo: N. Korea sanctions remain until complete denuclearisation
