For the second time in six weeks, Mike Pompeo visits North Korea. The first time as the director of the CIA, though having been nominated as Secretary of State, the second time around his trip was confirmed by President Trump on Tuesday while announcing his decision to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal.
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a series of meetings with officials in Pyongyang ahead of the US-North Korea nuclear summit.
He’s expected to return home with 3 Americans detained in North Korea and with details of the upcoming summit between Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.
The release of Americans was confirmed in a tweet by the US President ”I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking forward to meeting. They seem to be in a good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set.”
President Trump added he will be there to welcome them as they fly back home in a follow-up tweet ”Secretary Pompeo and his ‘guests’ will be landing at Andrews Air Force Base at 2:00 A.M. in the morning. I will be there to greet them. Very exciting!”
The 3 detainees – Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song, and Tony Kim were accused of anti-state activities by North Korea.
Secretary Pompeo has earlier said ”it would be a great gesture” if North Korea were to release them.
In the fifteen months of the Trump presidency, the only American detained in North Korea to have freed is Otto Warmbier, who returned home in a vegetative state and died soon after. He was held in captivity for almost one and a half years.
The visit of the US chief diplomat in the country was to finalize details of the much-anticipated Trump-Kim meeting. The time and location of that summit have not been made public.
Neba Benson,
BaretaNews Foreign Correspondent/Analyst
