New Delhi :
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said that if North Korea agreed to forfeit its nuclear arsenal, Washington would work with Pyongyang to redevelop its tiny economy. He said that United States would help North Korea rebuild its impoverished economy if it agreed to surrender the nuclear weapons.
The statement comes ahead of the historic meeting between Us President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Mike was speaking after conducting talks with South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha to prepare for the big meet on June 12 in Singapore.
"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," Mike Pompeo said.
There were concerns that South Korea’s desire to develop peaceful ties with North Korea may alienate it over time from the United States policy of seeking nuclear disarmament at any cost.
However, Pompeo and Kang have insisted that they agree on the need for the complete, verifiable and permanent denuclearization of the divided peninsula.
The American diplomat also said that the US would remain on board to help develop North Korea’s economy, which has been affected by crippling international sanctions and its own mismanagement.
Pompeo had two recent meetings with Kim Jong Un to prepare for the summit next month and another one last weekend, to negotiate the release of American prisoners, who were held in North Korean jails.
Mike added that he had a good conversation with Kim Jong Un and found him to be a rational interlocutor.
(With PTI inputs)
