Speaking with South Korea\u2019s top diplomat, Pompeo said the US is prepared to help North Korea get on par with South if denuclearizes<\/b>
\nUS secretary of state Mike Pompeo has offered economic help to impoverished North Korea if it gives up its nuclear weapons, as the two countries prepare for an historic summit between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
A day after returning from a trip to Pyongyang, Pompeo said he had \u201cgood\u201d and \u201csubstantive\u201d conversations with Kim during his visit, during which he secured the release of three Americans who had been detained in North Korea. In a joint news conference with South Korea\u2019s top diplomat, he offered a glimpse of what US-North Korean relations could look like if they succeed in reaching a nuclear accord.
\u201cIf North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends,\u201d Pompeo said.
The comments came three days after the US president announced he would violate the international nuclear deal with Iran which imposed strict curbs on Tehran\u2019s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.
North Korea has carried out six nuclear tests, and a string of missile launches \u2013 including three intercontinental ballistic missiles. The scale of its programme remains unclear, although in December Kim announced that his country\u2019s nuclear forces were now \u201ccompleted\u201d.
In contrast, the 2015 deal Trump rejected this week led to a drastic reduction in Tehran\u2019s nuclear programme, and the IAEA has repeatedly confirmed that that Iran was in compliance with the deal.
Since Trump announced plans to hold a summit with Kim, questions have been raised continually about whether the two leaders have the same objective in mind when they speak about denuclearization.
To the US, that means the North giving up the nuclear weapons it has already built.
But North Korea has said it\u2019s willing to talk now because it\u2019s already succeeded in becoming a nuclear-armed state, fueling skepticism that the North would truly be willing to give those weapons up.
Pompeo said there would need to be \u201ccomplete\u201d and \u201cverifiable\u201d denuclearization, suggesting it would involve inspections to ensure the North\u2019s compliance.
\u201cI think there is complete agreement about what the ultimate objectives are,\u201d Pompeo said, though he declined to offer more detail.
South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha praised the upcoming meeting between Trump and Kim as an \u201chistoric\u201d opportunity, but added a few notes of skepticism as well.
Amid concerns that North Korea will demand the US withdraw its troops from neighboring South Korea, Kang emphasized that the US military presence there must be \u201ca matter for the US-ROK alliance first and foremost\u201d, using an acronym for South Korea\u2019s official name, the Republic of Korea.
She said the US troop presence in the South for the past 65 years plays a \u201ccrucial role for deterrence\u201d, peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. Therefore, she said, any change in the size of the US forces in the South Korea should not be on the table at the summit.
\u201cThe next few weeks will be critical, requiring airtight coordination between our two countries,\u201d Kang said.<\/p>\n