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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a press conference at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on Oct. 3.
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Says sanctions will “remain in place” until N. Korea has denuclearized
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Nov. 25 that “we are prepared to be patient” in regard to negotiations with North Korea about its nuclear program. Pompeo also said that the economic sanctions on the North “will remain in place.” Pompeo, a former congressman from Kansas, made the remarks during an interview on Sunday with Kansas radio station KFDI. When the radio host mentioned “some strong statements recently from North Korea [. . .] about new tactical weapons they have,” Pompeo responded that “We think we know what it is they’re referring to there; we’re pretty sure. I can’t say much.” North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Nov. 16 that Kim Jong-un had provided some on-the-spot guidance for a test of newly developed high-tech tactical weapons. “We’ve known this was going to be a lengthy process. This administration came in with a very difficult risk from North Korea,” Pompeo said. “The President [Donald Trump] made the decision to have a summit with Chairman Kim, and I’ve been tasked with negotiating its resolution.” “It will take time. We are prepared to be patient,” Pompeo emphasized. He continued: “All the while that we’re working to make sure that North Korea has continued to stop its missile tests, the economic sanctions which have caused North Korea to engage with us will remain in place.” Pompeo reiterated that the US holds a long-term attitude about its negotiations with North Korea and will not fret about the timeframe and that the sanctions on North Korea will be maintained until it has denuclearized. When asked about the recently launched South Korea-US working group that held its first meeting on Nov. 27, Pompeo said, “The working group is designed to make sure that [. . .] the effort to restore peace on the peninsula moves in parallel with the denuclearization discussions. We are in lock step with our Republic of Korea partners and we want to make sure we stay that way.” By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
