Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on November 17 in Washington that North Korea's denuclearization can only happen with Chinese President Xi Jinping's 'permission' and 'direction.' He emphasized the need to focus on deterring Beijing from using Pyongyang as a strategic tool. The remarks come amid speculation over President-elect Donald Trump's potential reengagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recounted his nuclear negotiations with North Korea in 2018 and 2019 during a fireside chat hosted by South Korean law firm D&A LLC in Washington on November 17, claiming that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has little freedom on the nuclear issue due to deep ties with Beijing.
"If the idea is to get the nuclear weapons moved out of North Korea, it's only going to happen with the permission and the direction of Xi Jinping. Talking to Chairman Kim is interesting but not that instructive," Pompeo said. He acknowledged that his past negotiations were ultimately "unsuccessful" but suggested focusing on deterring Beijing from using Pyongyang as a strategic tool.
During President Donald Trump's first term, Kim held three in-person meetings with Trump: the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019, and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019. Pompeo noted that Kim reported to Xi before and after each summit, stating, "This was really Xi Jinping with whom we were negotiating."
He viewed North Korea's nuclear arsenal not as a single enterprise but as intertwined with China, adding that Xi likely directed Pyongyang's troop deployment to Russia in its war against Ukraine. "No one should be under any illusions that they did not go there without the direction of Xi Jinping," he said.
Pompeo anticipated that Kim would seek economic sanctions relief in any resumed talks but has offered "nothing" in return, making success unlikely. Describing Kim as a "nasty" and "evil" man who believes the Korean Peninsula is his, he expressed skepticism over a second Trump administration formally recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state.
Instead, he advocated tightening pressure on the regime by limiting its resources, which fuel military capabilities rather than aid the people. On Trump's recent approval for South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine push, Pompeo was optimistic about bipartisan congressional support. "Yes, I think it's absolutely possible that you could get bipartisan congressional approval for further cooperation on this file from Capitol Hill. I don't think it's remote," he said.