[Photo] Pompeo says US still wants talks in spite of missile launches

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the door to diplomacy with North Korea is still open on July 25, in spite of the North’s launch of short-range missiles. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Pompeo described the launches as a negotiation “tactic” to gain leverage, not seeming overly concerned. “We remain convinced that there’s a diplomatic way forward, a negotiated solution to this,” he said. Pompeo also didn’t seem bothered by the delay in Washington’s working-level talks with Pyongyang. “President Trump has been incredibly consistent here: We want diplomacy to work,” he said. “If it takes another two weeks or four weeks, so be it.” (Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent)