Pompeo heads to North Korea seeking denuclearization assurance


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is making his third trip to North Korea on Thursday, where he will seek an assurance of denuclearization from leader Kim Jong Un. Pompeo is under pressure to get a commitment from Kim because his visits to Pyongyang have so far resulted in "very little to show," John Hannah, the former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton's secretary of state, told CNN, adding that "it should not happen a third time."
The Trump administration is reportedly considering inviting Kim to New York City for a summit this fall, although intelligence experts quietly believe the unpredictable leader is uninterested in full denuclearization. Kim "is trying to delay denuclearization and do it at his own pace," suggested Bill Richardson, a former U.S. energy secretary.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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