Pompeo says Kim meeting reflects commitment to diplomacy
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that President Donald Trump's willingness to meet with the North Korean leader is a reflection of U.S. commitment to diplomacy.
Trump is set to meet with Kim Jong-un in Singapore June 12 after threatening last year to "totally destroy" the regime over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests.
"Our willingness to meet with Kim Jong-un underscores the Trump administration's commitment to diplomacy to help solve the greatest challenges, even with our staunchest adversaries," Pompeo said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation think tank that mainly focused on laying out conditions for a new nuclear deal with Iran.
"But that willingness has been accompanied by a painful pressure campaign that reflects our commitment to resolve this challenge forever," he said, referring to U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea.
Trump surprised even his aides when he accepted Kim's invitation to a summit in March. The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program, but Pyongyang threatened to pull out of the meeting last week, citing U.S. demands for "unilateral" denuclearization.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
(Movie Review) 'Troll Factory' navigates blurred line between fake, real with anticlimactic finale
-
Police officer admits to leaking investigation report into late actor Lee Sun-kyun
-
'Parasyte: The Grey' adapts Japanese alien invasion manga to Korean setting
-
S. Korea, U.S. launch task force to block N. Korea's nuclear, missile programs
-
N. Korean leader sends condolences to Putin over Russian concert hall shooting
-
(Movie Review) 'Troll Factory' navigates blurred line between fake, real with anticlimactic finale
-
'Parasyte: The Grey' adapts Japanese alien invasion manga to Korean setting
-
Police officer admits to leaking investigation report into late actor Lee Sun-kyun
-
Congenital diseases of children born from mothers working at Samsung recognized as industrial accidents
-
N. Korean leader sends condolences to Putin over Russian concert hall shooting
-
S. Korea, U.S. launch task force to block N. Korea's nuclear, missile programs
-
Unification minister slams N. Korea's abduction, detention of S. Koreans as inhumane
-
Yellow dust advisories issued for parts of S. Korea
-
(LEAD) Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
-
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. launch task force to block N. Korea's nuclear, missile programs