Pompeo to visit Pyongyang next month to prepare for 2nd NK-US summit

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho in New York on Sept. 26. (Pompeo’s Facebook page)

US Secretary of State’s 4th NK visit decided upon during UN General Assembly in New York 　

Following a bilateral foreign minister meeting on Sept. 26 in New York, North Korea and the United States have officially begun preparing for the second North Korea-US summit. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip to Pyongyang next month, which was decided upon in New York, is seen as the next crucial checkpoint on the road to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump’s second summit.

According to a statement from US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on Sept. 26 in New York during the UN General Assembly, and accepted Kim’s invitation to visit Pyongyang next month.

Regarding the purpose of Pompeo’s visit, Nauert said, “Secretary Pompeo said he would travel to Pyongyang to make continued progress on the four commitments President Trump and Chairman Kim made in the Singapore Summit Joint Statement,” to make progress on the issue of “final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK,” and to prepare for the second summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim.

Pompeo tweeted a photograph of the meeting, writing that he had a “very positive meeting with #DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho @UNGA to discuss upcoming summit & next steps toward denuclearization of #NorthKorea.” He added, “Much work remains, but we will continue to move forward.”

Strong indication that NK and US want to find a way to resume talks

Pompeo’s fourth visit to North Korea, which was abruptly canceled at the end of last month, is now scheduled for October. Despite the deadlock in the dialogue over North Korea’s initial steps towards denuclearization such as the reporting of nuclear facilities, as well as the US’ corresponding measures such as the official termination of the Korean War, this official announcement of Pompeo’s plans to visit to North Korea can be read as a strong signal that the two countries are attempting to find a way to reopen talks.

In particular, because this visit will be happening after a month of hiatus, through the mediation of South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the friendly exchanges between Kim and Trump, there is an added layer of significance. It is seen as an indication that the US plans to respond to North Korea’s request in the Pyongyang Declaration for “the United States takes corresponding measures,” as a condition of measures such as the permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, and that the US will be reviewing appropriate corresponding measures.

With his North Korean counterpart, Pompeo is expected to work out a general plan that covers the key issues of the second summit, including initial steps towards denuclearization, verification of these measures, and corresponding measures from the US. The location and scheduling of the summit will also likely take shape during this visit. It is also likely that as Kim extended the invitation himself, he may meet with Pompeo directly.

Both sides are also pursuing the possibility of a meeting between Stephen Biegun, US special representative for North Korea, and his North Korean counterpart in Vienna, Austria. Vienna is where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which carries out nuclear inspections, is headquartered, and so there is some speculation that the meeting will involve specific discussions of the inspections.

Trump interested in results, not a specific timeline

The US has suggested that it is interested in results, rather than giving off the impression that it is in any hurry. In an interview with CBS, Pompeo said that it would be highly likely that the summit would take place after October, emphasizing, “It takes a little while to put these together and we want to make sure we got the conditions just right so the two leaders can be successful."

President Trump, for his part, even while saying that he would meet Kim in the “very near future,” also emphasized that the overall process of denuclearization in North Korea would take time. At a press conference in New York on the same day, to a question on how long he thought denuclearization would take, he responded, “We are not playing the time game. If it takes two years, three years or five months it doesn't matter, there's no nuclear testing and there's no testing of rockets.’’

He added that only two and a half months had passed since the first North Korea-US summit, and that people nonetheless complained about how long it was taking, saying that he had time, and that there was no need to hurry.

While presiding over a Security Council meeting at the United Nations on the same day, Trump also said that to ensure continued progress with North Korea, “We must enforce existing UN Security Council resolutions until denuclearization occurs,” reiterating the position that the sanctions could only be lifted after denuclearization.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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