OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 9:50 AM PT — Thursday, January 31, 2019
Preparations for a second summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un are officially underway. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed he has sent a team to an undisclosed Asian country to begin laying the foundation for the upcoming meeting. He confirmed the meeting will happen by the end of February.
The pressure is on for this second summit. During the president and Kim’s first meeting in Singapore, Kim promised to denuclearize.
“Chairman Kim and I just signed a joint statement in which he reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” stated President Trump. “We also agreed to vigorous negotiations to implement the agreement as soon as possible.”
However, Kim’s promises haven’t seemed to materialize. He vowed to shut down missile testing sites, but photos released last November suggested North Korea is, in fact, continuing to build missiles.
Additionally, North Korea released a bombshell statement in December, saying they won’t give up their nuclear weapons unless the U.S. does so first.
South Korean college students stand with a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a rally to welcome his possible visit to South Korea, in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he is sending a team “someplace in Asia” to set up a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by the end of February. The signs read ” We welcome North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit.” (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
“If the U.S. miscalculates our people’s patience, forces something upon us and pursues sanctions and pressure without keeping a promise it made in front of the world, we have no option but to explore a new path in order to protect our sovereignty and achieve peace on the Korean peninsula,” stated Kim Jong Un.
This threat isn’t stopping the Trump administration from pushing forward. Pompeo said Kim has told the White House he’s prepared to denuclearize. Whether this materializes will not be seen until the once distant adversaries, turned dear friends, meet again by the end of February.
