Despite the current stalemate between North Korea and the U.S.,.... Washington is still hopeful that it can hold a second summit with Pyeongyang early next year.
Lee Ji-won has more.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is still hoping a second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will take place early next year.

Speaking on the Pete Mundo Morning Show on U.S. radio station KCMO on Wednesday,... Pompeo said the U.S. is continuing negotiations with the North to get the regime to implement what Kim Jong-un has committed to: a fully and verifiably denuclearized North Korea.

In another U.S. radio show on KQAM, Pompeo said that when he met Kim Jong-un last month, Kim continued to commit to allowing verification of the denuclearization of his regime.

When asked about the framework for North Korea's denuclearization, Pompeo said that there is none, and that the U.S. does not want to set a date.
He said that it is going to be a long road, and though there are no dates fixed, there is a plan, and an understanding about how the U.S. hopes to proceed.

This comes weeks after the high-level talks between Pompeo and his North Korean counterpart Kim Yong-chol was abruptly postponed due to "scheduling issues".
But with North Korea asking for the lifting of economic sanctions, and the U.S. staying firm that there can be no sanctions relief until denuclearization takes place, there are concerns that the current stalemate may last longer.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.