U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he is "very hopeful" that the upcoming summit with North Korea will take place as planned next month,... though he did lay the meeting's fate squarely on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un twice - once in April as the CIA director and earlier this month,... as Secretary of State,... when he brought back three U.S. detainees held by the regime.
But one thing's for sure for Pompeo: "a bad deal is not an option".
In his opening remarks at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday,... Pompeo reaffirmed that the American people are counting on the Trump administration to get it right,... and if the right deal is not on the table,... they will walk away.
With America's top diplomat saying the U.S. is still working toward holding the historic summit with Kim Jong-un on June 12th in Singapore,... he called the denuclearization of North Korea the Trump administration's "top national security priority",... adding the maximum pressure campaign of diplomatic and economic sanctions is bearing fruit.
So how did North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appear when he met with Pompeo in Pyongyang?
According to Pompeo himself,... Kim seemed genuine and engaged in 'real conversations',... adding hopes are high that when he meets President Trump,... he's willing to pursue a strategic shift.
Pompeo also said the North Korean leader "wanted security assurances from the world, the end of the status that sits between South and North Korea,... with the eventual goal of a peace treaty."
While a security assurance remains intact,... the U.S. Secretary of State insisted that zero concessions have been made to Kim to date,... and the administration has no intention of providing any until a deal is sealed that are happy with.
The big question remains: Will there be a summit between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S.?
The world hopes that in the end, the right deal is made to establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
