U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is vowing to seek the immediate dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program.
He made the remarks as he was formally sworn-in as America's top diplomat with a strong endorsement from President Trump.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stressed that North Korea must commit to a swift dismantling of its weapons programs.
Pompeo outlined his priorities while speaking at his ceremonial swearing-in on Wednesday,... highlighting the importance of Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear weapons as well as its ballistic missiles.
"We are committed to the permanent, verifiable, irreversible dismantling of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction program and to do so without delay."
Pompeo,... who secretly met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang in early April,... also said that efforts to denuclearize North Korea are still in the beginning stages,... with their outcome yet unknown.
He also stressed that the Trump administration is fully committed to solving the North's nuclear issue.
"This administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past. Our eyes are wide open. It's time to solve this once and for all. A bad deal is not an option."
Meanwhile,... CBS News reported Wednesday that North Korea has started removing cables from the tunnels at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site where the regime carried out a total of six nuclear tests from 2006.
Citing intelligence sources, CBS described such measures as a first step toward closing down the tunnels,... as announced by Kim Jong-un during last week's inter-Korean summit.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.
