Mike Pompeo was asked 3 weeks ago about Kim Jong Un executing his negotiators. His answer looks pretty macabre now.


South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un executed lead nuclear negotiator Kim Hyok Chol and four other senior foreign ministry officials in March, in punishment for the failure of February's Hanoi summit with President Trump. South Korea's government and acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said they can't or won't confirm the report, which Chosun Ilbo attributed to one unidentified source, but North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper also published an editorial Thursday with specific language it last used after a top official was executed in 2013.
The rumors of a post-summit purge aren't new. ABC News This Week's Jonathan Karl asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the rumored executions on May 5. Pompeo didn't confirm or deny them. "It does appear that the next time we have serious conversations that my counterpart will be someone else, but we don't know that for sure," he said, smiling. "Just as President Trump gets to decide who his negotiators will be, Chairman Kim will get to make his own decisions about who he asks to have these conversations."
It's not clear if the firing squad reports are true, and if so, whether the U.S. knew that three weeks ago. But if Pompeo knew, his response and body language are a little unsettling. "Secretary Pompeo in all likelihood knew when he answered this question that Kim Jong Un had executed and imprisoned his interlocutors," tweeted Ned Price, a former CIA officer and National Security Council spokesman. "His reaction says a lot about who Pompeo is and, more importantly, how he represents America and our values around the world."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Israel blames 'failures' for killing of medics
speed read 14 Gaza medics and 1 U.N. employee were killed by IDF special forces
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Today's political cartoons - April 21, 2025
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - Ice, egg prices, and more
By The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US