Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, will push North Korea to provide a timeline for denuclearisation on his third trip to Pyongyang.
M ike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, will push North Korea to provide a timeline for denuclearisation on his third trip to Pyongyang.
It came amid growing scepticism in Washington over Kim Jong-un’s commitment to giving up his nuclear arsenal. Mr Pompeo, America’s top diplomat, was due to arrive on Friday, for a personal meeting with Kim, as splits emerged in Donald Trump’s administration over how quickly to demand disarmament.
Mr Trump met the North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12, and later said that the threat of nuclear war was over.
But US intelligence reports have since emerged suggesting ongoing activity at North Korean nuclear sites, and intelligence officials have expressed doubt that Kim has any intention of fully denuclearising in the near future.
John Bolton, Mr Trump’s national security adviser, who has taken a hard line on North Korea, said recently that Mr Pompeo would present Kim with a plan to dismantle his nuclear and missile programmes in just one year.
