Pompeo Lands in Pyongyang: Mission “Finish the Word” on Denuclearization
Quick rundown: The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, arrived in the capital of North Korea on July 6, 2018, to press Kim Jong Un for a concrete, measurable plan to dismantle nuclear weapons, following the buzz‑worthy summit in Singapore with President Trump.
Who Gave Him a Warm Welcome?
- Kim Yong Chol – Kim’s right‑hand man, old‑school spy‑trickster turned diplomat.
- Ri Yong Ho – the North Korean Foreign Minister who apparently loves a good handshake.
The two officials greeted Pompeo, promising a trip that won’t end in a “nice dinner” – or a “nice speech” – but in concrete details.
What Was Said in Singapore?
Kim proclaimed a “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Sounds grand, but the phrase is a classic Pyongyang placeholder that stops short of the U.S. demand for a verifiable, irreversible surrender of all atomic arsenals.
Trump cheered it up on the sidelines, tossing jokes about “nuclear war being over” – a sentiment that many experts find a bit optimistic, given the ambiguously worded contract.
Pompeo’s Game Plan
Pompeo now must coax Kim to drop the bomb names: which drones, missiles, and nuclear cores are actually on the island? And, more importantly, he’ll need a realistic timeline for takedown.
During a brief stop at Yokota Air Base in Japan, Pompeo told reporters that he was eager to “fill in some details” and keep the Singapore promise from turning into a silent, dusty covenant.
North Korean Path Forward
Pompeo may be the first U.S. diplomat to stay overnight in Pyongyang, possibly setting the stage for future visits—though the trip will take him far beyond the communist frontier.
From Pyongyang to the World
- Tokyo – briefings with Japanese and South Korean counterparts.
- Vietnam and Abu Dhabi – to gather additional support.
- Brussels – a high‑energy dash to the NATO summit with President Trump.
Meanwhile, both sides keep the economic sanctions firm, a strategy Pompeo believes forced Kim onto the negotiation table. Trump, too, has pledged to keep those sanctions in place, ensuring the pressure stays on.
Bottom line: The diplomatic skirmish in Pyongyang is high stakes, high anxiety, and light on detail – like a sequel that never gets the original’s plot.
