Newly minted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had a “good conversation” with President Kim Jong-un and signaled that the North Korean leader is on board to work toward “irreversible denuclearization ” of the peninsula.
“We had an extensive conversation on the hardest issues that face our two countries,” Pompeo told ABC News’ “This Week” in an interview that aired Sunday. “I had a clear mission statement from President Trump. When I left, Kim Jong Un understood the mission exactly as I described it today.”
Pompeo added that the Trump administration’s goal is “complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization.”
Pompeo, the former CIA director, was confirmed as secretary of state by the Senate last Thursday, replacing Rex Tillerson.
He met with Kim over the Easter Weekend to prepare for a landmark summit between Trump and the North Korean strongman sometime in May.
“Anytime you get the chance to meet face-to-face with someone, you get a better read about what they’re thinking, whether they’re really prepared to do something that is historic and different,” Pompeo told ABC.
“My goal was to try and identify if there was a real opportunity there. I believe there is. Who knows how the ultimate discussions will go. There is a lot of work to do, but I am very hopeful that the conditions that have been set by President Trump give us this chance.”
The president and Kim have engaged in a war of words during Trump’s first months in office.
Kim continued to develop his nuclear weapons program, test-firing intercontinental ballistic missiles over Japan and threatening to attack the US mainland.
In return, Trump promised to unleash “fire and fury” against the country if it attacked the US or any of its allies in the region.
He also imposed a number of crippling economic sanctions on the reclusive regime.
Pompeo credited Trump’s actions with getting Kim to the bargaining table.
“President Trump has put economic pressure on the North Koreans and it appears to have given us an opening – this real opportunity for something that would be transformative for the world if we can achieve it,” he said.
Pompeo also said the US will keep its “eyes wide open” during negotiations with the North Korean leader.
“This administration has its eyes wide open. We know the history. We know the risks. We’re going to be very different. We’re going to negotiate in a different way than has been done before,” Pompeo said, adding, “We’re not going to make promises.
We’re not going to take words. We’re going to look for actions and deeds.”
