United States President Donald Trump and secretary of state Mike Pompeo has on Monday brushed off North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s suggestion to Trump to be more flexible in next round of nuclear talks as Kim will wait till the end of 2019, with Pompeo stating Kim must stand on his commitment of full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
According to Reuters news reports, when asked over Kim’s statement that he is only interested in meeting Trump if the US comes up with the right attitude, Pompeo said the president was “determined to move forward diplomatically”.
Pompeo said Kim has made a commitment regarding Korean Peninsula denuclearization, which “we collectively need to see that outcome move forward”.
Kim has said North Korea will “wait for a bold decision” from the US with patience will the end of this year.
Pompeo said, “Our teams are working with the North Koreans … to chart a path forward so that we can get there. He said he wanted it done by the end of the year. I’d love to see that done sooner.”
Kim has on Saturday said the nuclear talks impasse with Trump raised risks of reviving tensions, and further stated he is interested in meeting Trump again only if Washington presented with a right attitude, state-run media KCNA reported.
Kim said he will wait “till the end of this year” for the US president to be more flexible in meetings with him. Kim was quoted by KCNA as saying, “It is essential for the U.S. to quit its current calculation method and approach us with a new one.”
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North Korea to wait for one-year for a bold decision from US’ Trump with patience: Kim Jong-Un