Trump delays Pompeo visit to North Korea, citing lack of denuclearization

(Image credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

published 24 August 2018

President Trump tweeted Friday that he has directed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay his trip to North Korea. Pompeo was scheduled to visit the country for the fourth time next week. Trump wrote that he'd asked Pompeo to hold off "because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." He also expressed discontentment with China for a perceived lack of assistance:

After Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June, securing only vague promises of denuclearization from the reclusive dictator, he and Pompeo fired back at critics who said the agreement signaled no real progress from Pyongyang. "I find that question insulting and ridiculous and frankly ludicrous," Pompeo told reporters who asked how effective the pact's loose language could be.

Trump said Friday that Pompeo would be visiting North Korea "in the near future," adding that "in the meantime, I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!"