By Kim Bo-eun
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed a high-level meeting with his North Korean counterpart would take place as earlier stated, amid signs of Pyongyang making preparations for inspections to take place at key nuclear and missile testing sites.
Pompeo said he would discuss inspections of North Korea's nuclear and missile testing sites with his counterpart next week, in a radio interview on Wednesday (local time).
This is seen as signaling progress in the denuclearization process, after it appeared stalled for weeks as working-level talks failed to begin.
The secretary said during his last visit to Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "committed to allowing American inspectors to come look at two significant sites."
"We hope to get them there before too long," he said.
The two sites are seen to be the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site and Tongchang-ri missile testing site.
North Korea stated in the Pyongyang Declaration reached at the third inter-Korean summit in September it would permanently shut down its Tongchang-ri site in the presence of international experts.
It dismantled its Punggye-ri site in May, ahead of the June summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, but this has yet to be verified.
Pompeo stated after his last visit to Pyongyang that the North Korean leader said he would invite inspectors to Punggye-ri to verify its shutdown.
There was no mentioning of the date and location of the meeting next week, but media reports stated it could be held in New York on Nov. 9.
The secretary also referred to a second summit between North Korea and the U.S.
"We do have the intention of President Trump and Chairman Kim getting together before too long, hopefully early in the next year, where we can make a substantial breakthrough in taking down the nuclear threat from North Korea," he said.
Analysts said the high-level meeting will likely work out details of inspections of the sites.
"The talks will likely address who will take part in the inspections, the scale to which and how they will be conducted," said Shin Beom-cheol, senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
"It would be about how many inspectors would take part, if only the U.S. would participate, or other bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency or Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization or South Korea would take part, and whether there will be drilling and collecting of soil or rock samples."
The professor said the working-level talks, which have failed to begin thus far may continue to be indefinitely postponed.
"North Korea appears to favor a top-down approach and making big deals to avoid detailed calls for inspection," Shin said.
Professor Park Won-gon of Handong Global University said the meeting, in addition to inspections and the second summit, will likely discuss shutting down the Yongbyon nuclear facility and corresponding measures the U.S. may offer.
"North Korea has been calling for a declaration ending the Korean War, as well as sanctions relief for Yongbyon's shutdown, while the U.S. has stated Pyongyang will need to take additional denuclearization steps. This will likely be addressed at the meeting," he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed a high-level meeting with his North Korean counterpart would take place as earlier stated, amid signs of Pyongyang making preparations for inspections to take place at key nuclear and missile testing sites.
Pompeo said he would discuss inspections of North Korea's nuclear and missile testing sites with his counterpart next week, in a radio interview on Wednesday (local time).
This is seen as signaling progress in the denuclearization process, after it appeared stalled for weeks as working-level talks failed to begin.
The secretary said during his last visit to Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "committed to allowing American inspectors to come look at two significant sites."
"We hope to get them there before too long," he said.
The two sites are seen to be the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site and Tongchang-ri missile testing site.
North Korea stated in the Pyongyang Declaration reached at the third inter-Korean summit in September it would permanently shut down its Tongchang-ri site in the presence of international experts.
It dismantled its Punggye-ri site in May, ahead of the June summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, but this has yet to be verified.
Pompeo stated after his last visit to Pyongyang that the North Korean leader said he would invite inspectors to Punggye-ri to verify its shutdown.
There was no mentioning of the date and location of the meeting next week, but media reports stated it could be held in New York on Nov. 9.
The secretary also referred to a second summit between North Korea and the U.S.
"We do have the intention of President Trump and Chairman Kim getting together before too long, hopefully early in the next year, where we can make a substantial breakthrough in taking down the nuclear threat from North Korea," he said.
Analysts said the high-level meeting will likely work out details of inspections of the sites.
"The talks will likely address who will take part in the inspections, the scale to which and how they will be conducted," said Shin Beom-cheol, senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
"It would be about how many inspectors would take part, if only the U.S. would participate, or other bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency or Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization or South Korea would take part, and whether there will be drilling and collecting of soil or rock samples."
The professor said the working-level talks, which have failed to begin thus far may continue to be indefinitely postponed.
"North Korea appears to favor a top-down approach and making big deals to avoid detailed calls for inspection," Shin said.
Professor Park Won-gon of Handong Global University said the meeting, in addition to inspections and the second summit, will likely discuss shutting down the Yongbyon nuclear facility and corresponding measures the U.S. may offer.
"North Korea has been calling for a declaration ending the Korean War, as well as sanctions relief for Yongbyon's shutdown, while the U.S. has stated Pyongyang will need to take additional denuclearization steps. This will likely be addressed at the meeting," he said.
