WASHINGTON _ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that he had a "productive" meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, calling it another "step forward" in tortuous talks to dismantle the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Pompeo provided no details, but also said the meeting focused on preparations for a second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. The first, in June in Singapore, produced a vague declaration that has formed the basis for continuing, but fitful, negotiations.
"There are many steps along the way and we took one of those today," Pompeo said in Seoul in brief public comments alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in. "It was another step forward."
Trump, meanwhile, said on Twitter that he would "look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future."
Pompeo flew to Seoul after about four hours in Pyongyang that included lunch with Kim. He also went to Tokyo, and from Seoul was scheduled to continue to Beijing as he attempts to advise regional governments on his efforts and ensure support, or in the case of China, shore it up.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo and Kim "refined options for the location and date of that next summit."
Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, Nauert said in a statement.
But the statement made no mention of Yongbyon, North Korea's main nuclear facility. The South Korean government was encouraging the North to offer to dismantle part of Yongbyon, in exchange for the United States issuing a declaration ending the 1950-53 Korean War, as "confidence-building" measures.
The U.S., however, has been reluctant to issue such a declaration, concerned that could undermine its military presence in the region.
The U.S.-North Korea dealings have not produced significant steps in disarming North Korea. Critics have said it is important for talks to produce more than statements of "commitments" that are not backed by actions. And some experts wonder if Kim is willing to deal, or allow his people to deal, with anyone but Trump.
Nauert, who was traveling with Pompeo, said he and Kim agreed to instruct their working-level teams to meet quickly "to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues."
