South Korean minister, Pompeo coordinate North Korean strategy
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and South Korea's Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon arrive for a photo opportunity for the news media, prior to talks at the State Department in Washington, DC, Nov. 16. EPA-Yonhap
South Korea's top official handling North Korea affairs met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, Friday, to coordinate efforts on getting Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, according to the State Department.
Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and Pompeo “affirmed their commitment to close coordination” as the allies seek the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, as agreed to by its leader Kim Jong-un, department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement
She said the two also discussed ways to deepen coordination to ensure that inter-Korean cooperation remains "aligned" with progress in U.S.-North Korea denuclearization negotiations.
The minister's five-day visit to the U.S. comes amid growing perceptions of a rift in the allies' approach to the North.
Seoul has been eager to expand cross-border exchanges to facilitate the regime abandoning its nuclear weapons and bring lasting peace to the peninsula, while Washington has been concerned this will undermine sanctions on Pyongyang.
Speaking at a forum in the U.S. capital Thursday, Cho said he believes it is still possible and necessary for Kim to visit Seoul before the end of the year.
The North Korean leader agreed to the visit during his third summit with President Moon Jae-in in September, but there has been skepticism that the trip will materialize because the denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled. (Yonhap)