The top diplomats of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States met Thursday to discuss efforts to achieve the complete dismantlement of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear weapons program, both sides said.
ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on the sidelines of an international conference in Poland ahead of this month's second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump announced last week he would hold a second summit with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi on February 27 and 28.
"Good meeting with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang in Warsaw to discuss the denuclearization of the DPRK, strengthening our trilateral relationship with Japan, and collaborating on shared interests in the Indo-Pacific," Pompeo tweeted.
Seoul's foreign ministry said the two discussed ways to ensure a successful summit and agreed to continue close coordination at all levels of government, Yonhap reported.
They also exchanged views on last week's pre-summit talks in Pyongyang, which involved U.S. and DPRK's officials, and reaffirmed their commitment to achieving denuclearization and peace on the peninsula through a firm bilateral alliance, the ministry said.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement that the two discussed "ongoing efforts to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization" of the DPRK and expressed their commitment to U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation.
"We are aiming to get this as far down the road as we can in what is now a couple of weeks," Pompeo told a news conference in Warsaw after a conference on the Middle East.
"That's not just along the denuclearization pillar of what they agreed to in Singapore," he said, referring to a groundbreaking first summit between Kim and Trump last June.
"We'll certainly talk about how we... reduce tension, reduce military risks, take down that risk so we can get peace and security on the peninsula as well."
In an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, Pompeo said of Kim that "now it's time for him to deliver."
(With input from Reuters)
