Our top story this morning...
U.S. President Donald Trump has fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Using Twitter to drop the news,... Trump added that CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace Tillerson as Washington's top diplomat.
The abrupt dismissal comes a matter of weeks ahead of an unprecedented summit between the U.S. and North Korea.
Kim Hyo-sun tells us more. President Trump has ousted his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson and replaced him with Mike Pompeo, the CIA chief.
The surprising decision was announced via Trump's Twitter on Tuesday,... through which he also thanked Tillerson for his 14 months of service.
Explaining his decision to fire him,... the president told reporters they had a different mind-set and a different way of thinking.
President Trump then added that he has a very similar thought process with Pompeo, who is notable for his hawkish attitude.
Pompeo is known to have played a crucial role in agreeing on a summit between Washington and Pyongyang by closely coordinating with the South Korean government.
Meanwhile,... Tillerson told reporters he will leave the State Department at the end of the month.
"My commission as secretary of state will terminate at midnight, March the 31st. I'll now return to private life as a private citizen, as a proud American, proud of the opportunity I've had to serve my country."
Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein was also fired after contradicting the official account of Tillerson's dismissal.
Vacancies within the higher echelon of the State Department will present a major challenge for Pompeo as he prepares for an unprecedented meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,... following his Senate confirmation hearing in April.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.
