U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he believes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has given him a concrete assurance that the regime is ready to denuclearize.
Park Ji-won has more.
Speaking at a White House press briefing on Thursday,... U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,... who has met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on two separate occasions, said Kim told him personally the North is prepared to abandon its nuclear arsenal.

"What I have said publicly is he has indicated to me personally that he is prepared to denuclearize, that he understands that the current model doesn't work, that he is prepared to denuclearize and that two, he understands we can't do it the way we've done it before, that this has to be big and bold and we have to agree to making major changes. (...) I'm hopeful that Chairman Kim Jong Un is prepared to make that decision for his country, a big shift in his strategic understanding of his security."

While conveying hopes for a successful summit in Singapore,... Pompeo reiterated Washington's stance that the U.S. will only accept North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.

"The United States has been clear time and time again: the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is the only outcome that we will find acceptable. The president recognizes that North Korea has great potential and he looks forward to a day when sanctions on the DPRK can begin to be removed."

Pompeo emphasized, though, the U.S. will guarantee North Korea's security as well as political normalization,... if it follows through on its pledge to denuclearize.
The U.S. Secretary of State also revealed he will visit Seoul next Wednesday -- the day after the summit -- to discuss the outcome of the Kim-Trump meeting with key officials from South Korea and Japan.
He will then fly to Beijing to explain the results to Chinese officials and to promote regional cooperation in bringing peace to the Korean peninsula.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.