Pompeo: North Korea Sanctions Will Stay Until It Denuclearizes
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There will be no sanctions relief for North Korea until after Kim Jong Un has completely denuclearized. That was the message from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday at a press conference in Seoul with South Korean and Japanese foreign ministers.
"We are going to get complete denuclearization," Pompeo said, "only then will there be relief from sanctions."
Pompeo was apparently responding to a North Korean state media report that President Trump and Kim had agreed the sanctions would be gradually lifted as the North went through the process of denuclearization.
But Pompeo said the Trump administration would not repeat the mistakes of previous presidents by giving North Korea economic and finanical aid relief for promises that it would denuclearize.
"That is not going to happen," Pompeo said. He also explained the administration expects "major disarmament" by the end of President Trump's first term in 2021.
And President Trump told Fox News' Bret Baier the US has to verify that North Korea has indeed denuclearized. When Baier asked if Trump was confident the US can set up verification, the President said, "I'm totally confident. And if we can't, we can't have a deal. It has to be verified."
North Korea could face another consequence if Kim Jong Un doesn't keep his promise to end his nuclear program.
Pompeo said the president made it clear to Kim that the US will resume its joint military exercises with South Korea if North Korea doesn't denuclearize.
The president has said the US would suspend the exercises, calling them "provocative."
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