Pompeo Still Optimistic About North Korea Denuclearization: "Spent More Time with Kim Jong Un Than Anyone Else"

"Believe Kim Jong-un Will Make the Right Choice for North Korean People"
"Denuclearization Progress Is Slow"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] "Once, my son joked that I spend more time with Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, than anyone else, including Dennis Rodman."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 13th (local time), U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo opened his remarks with this statement when asked about relations with North Korea this year during a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group event. It is interpreted as an attempt to emphasize how much effort Secretary Pompeo is putting into the North Korea issue, including persuading North Korea on denuclearization.

Secretary Pompeo said, "The United States will continue to persuade that it is in North Korea's interest to implement the agreement made by Chairman Kim at the (North Korea-U.S. summit) in June 2018." He added, "The pace of progress is slow," describing the situation as "two steps forward, one step back, then two steps back again."

He remained optimistic about the prospects of negotiations with North Korea. Secretary Pompeo said, "I still hold hope that North Korea will make the right decision," adding, "That decision will be the right one not only for the world but also for the North Korean people."

He continued, "The weapons North Korea possesses pose a real threat, but the United States is not posing a security threat to North Korea," and said, "If we prepare properly, follow the process, and engage in sincere dialogue, we can persuade Chairman Kim to step back from nuclear weapons."

Secretary Pompeo also expressed the view that North Korea's denuclearization will require a long time. He said, "It will truly be a challenge that takes a long time," and added, "Due to the sanctions imposed on North Korea, Chairman Kim must be deeply considering the right path to take for the North Korean people."

Meanwhile, regarding the scheduled meeting on the 14th with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, Secretary Pompeo said, "Solutions to the North Korea issue will proceed from both a global and regional perspective, and the counterparts from South Korea and Japan are central to this." He explained, "In fact, in some respects, this issue affects them more," noting that North Korea's missile launches, such as the short-range ballistic missiles fired in recent months, "pose a clearly greater threat to them (South Korea and Japan) than to the United States." He emphasized, "I want to discuss with them how to approach this in the coming months and what opportunities to use to continue dialogue and negotiations."

Additionally, Secretary Pompeo mentioned the role of China, stating that resolving the North Korea issue is difficult without the Chinese government. He said, "Without all parties in the region, it is difficult for the United States alone to reach a conclusion. China is a key country bordering North Korea," and added that he wants to discuss this with the South Korean and Japanese foreign ministers.

He also referred to issues related to export controls between South Korea and Japan, stating that he will listen to the opinions of Foreign Minister Kang and Foreign Minister Motegi and work to find ways to restore relations together.