US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday
Pompeo will push for North Korea to denuclearise, a US State Department spokeswoman said
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit North Korea on Sunday to meet with leader Kim Jong-un and try to push denuclearisation efforts forward, the State Department said.
Pompeo, who is trying to arrange a new summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump, will also head to US allies Japan and South Korea, as well as North Korea’s chief ally China, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Tuesday.
It will be the fourth trip by Pompeo to the long-time US pariah amid American hopes of reaching an agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
“I think it shows momentum that he is paying his fourth trip,” Nauert told reporters.
“Everybody recognises that there is a ways to go,” she said, but added: “We feel confident enough to hop on a plane to continue these negotiations.”
The top US diplomat had announced last week that he was ready to return to North Korea after meeting the state’s foreign minister on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.