Defense Secretary James Mattis said he was unaware of any steps North Korea has taken after the summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un to dismantle its nuclear weapons, according to reports.
Mattis was answering reporters’ questions at the Pentagon in the aftermath of the vaguely worded agreement, which provided few details about the rogue regime’s commitment to denuclearize in return for US security guarantees, the UK’s Guardian reported.
Immediately after the historic June 12 meeting, Trump claimed North Korea had begun the destruction of a missile engine testing site or would begin as soon as Kim returned to Pyongyang.
At the end of the summit, the president announced that he would suspend the joint military exercises with South Korea that had been a major sticking point with the North.
But despite the initial steps, Mattis said Wednesday he was “not aware” of any steps taken by Kim to denuclearize.
“Obviously, it’s the very front end of a process. The detailed negotiations have not begun,” Mattis said, according to the British Telegraph, which cited the Yonhap news agency.
“I wouldn’t expect that at this point,” he added.
The Pentagon this week confirmed that it had called off plans for joint military exercises in August with South Korea and other allies.
“Consistent with President Trump’s commitment and in concert with our Republic of Korea ally, the United States military has suspended all planning for this August’s defensive ‘wargame’ (Freedom Guardian),” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.
“We are still coordinating additional actions. No decisions on subsequent war games have been made.”
Mattis said he would visit Seoul, where he will hold talks with Defense Minister Song Young-moo, and Beijing next week to “sort out the way ahead.”
The US defense secretary also is scheduled to discuss the details with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, who said the North faces a “decisive and dramatic choice” on whether to give up its nukes.
“I think the first move here is really for North Korea to make,” Bolton told Fox News on Wednesday.
“They’ve said they want complete denuclearization. Now we are going to have to talk about how to achieve that, and I think you will see diplomatic engagement proceed very quickly,” he said.
