Pompeo: "Preventing North Korea's Nuclear Test... Achievement of Trump Administration"

Source: Politico

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that former President Donald Trump's threat of 'fire and fury' prevented a war with North Korea.

Pompeo, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in Orlando, Florida on the 27th (local time), promoted the 'America First' foreign policy agenda he pursued as Secretary of State during the Trump administration, aligning himself with the pro-Trump line, Politico reported.

He cited North Korea policy along with Middle East issues such as Iran as achievements of the Trump administration, saying, "We threatened (North Korea) with 'fire and fury,'" and added, "We threatened fire and fury to prevent war without engaging in one. And we succeeded."

In 2017, as North Korea accelerated its nuclear development, then-President Trump warned of 'fire and fury,' exchanging heated rhetoric, which brought tensions between North Korea and the U.S. to a peak.

Then, in 2018, the North Korea-U.S. dialogue phase began, with summits held in Singapore in June of that year and in Hanoi, Vietnam in February the following year, but no substantial progress was made toward denuclearization.

Pompeo praised as diplomatic achievements that after the two summits, North Korea did not conduct any long-range ballistic missile or nuclear tests, emphasizing the return of three Korean-American detainees held in North Korea to the U.S. in May 2018, and the repatriation of U.S. military remains from the Korean War in August of that year. He described these as "remarkable and right things, and 'America First.'"

In his speech, Pompeo strongly criticized President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party's policies and actively defended former President Trump. He is among the Republican presidential candidates for the 2024 election.

He argued that the Trump administration's America First policy line was right for the U.S., saying, "When America is fearless, bold, and strong, the whole world benefits."

He also said, "America First has true courage," adding, "It requires a Secretary of State who speaks as it is in the room and a president who has support. We had that."