U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during post-summit talks with regional powers, has been warning there are "still risks" that could derail efforts to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
He added sanctions will stay in place... until the regime's nuclear program is completely dismantled.
Park Hee-jun has the details. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi have reaffirmed that economic sanctions on North Korea will remain in place until the regime's complete denuclearization.
At a joint press conference following their bilateral meeting on Thursday,... Pompeo and Wang sounded optimistic about the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula,... but they agreed the scaling down of sanctions can only be on the table when North Korea has completely, verifiably and irreversibly abandoned its nuclear weapons program.
"China has reaffirmed its commitment to honoring the UN Security Council resolutions.... But we have made very clear, that the sanctions and the economic relief that North Korea will receive will only happen after the full denuclearization, the complete denuclearization of North Korea."
Pompeo also thanked China for its role in making the Kim-Trump summit happen,... but said more needs to be done by both countries to achieve the "ultimate outcome."
Wang, who said the summit held in Singapore held "great historic significance," also said it was a path to a "new start."
Before heading back to Washington, Pompeo held a separate meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Chinese leader told Pompeo that he hopes the two countries can continue their efforts for a political resolution to the North Korea issue,... and added that Beijing will keep playing an active and constructive role to promote the process.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.
