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Pompeo is ‘very hopeful’ about maintaining talks with N. Korea

Pompeo is ‘very hopeful’ about maintaining talks with N. Korea

Posted July. 11, 2020 08:01,   

Updated July. 11, 2020 08:01

한국어

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s mention of the possibility of a meeting between senior leaders with strong determination to resume talks with North Korea on Thursday (local time) seems to reflect the U.S.’s intention to maintain the topic of holding the “third U.S.-North Korea summit.”

U.S. President Donald Trump recently revisited the topic of U.S.-North Korea summit by saying that he would meet again with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un if doing so would be “helpful” and his administration seems to be backing it up. This leaves open the possibility to use the summit as an October surprise.

“We're very hopeful that we can continue to have this conversation,” Pompeo responded to a question asking about the summit at the teleconference. His words are heavily nuanced, rather than containing diplomatic rhetoric.

Regarding the type of conversation, he said it could either working-level talks or among “senior leaders” if appropriate. Although he did not use the term “summit,” it is regarded to imply the possibility of a meeting between the two countries’ leaders. “As for who and how and timing, I just don't want to talk about that today,” he added, which may imply that some behind-the-door discussions are going on with the North.

“We continue to work to establish dialogue and have substantive conversations about how we might deliver this really good outcome, this outcome of delivering peace and stability to the entire peninsula,” the state secretary said, adding that they first designed this in Singapore where the first U.S.-North Korea summit was held.


Jae-Dong Yu jarrett@donga.com