SECRETARY POMPEO: Good afternoon.
It’s great to be joining you all here today.
Early in his presidency, President Trump made a commitment to address the threat of North
Korea, which has been a threat to our nation for far too long.
President Trump has been, and continues to be, committed to ridding the United States
and the world of threats posed by North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic
missile programs.
These programs threaten our homeland, our allies and partners, and the broader non-proliferation
regime.
North Korea’s past activities also make clear that it is proliferation to other actors
that creates a risk, in addition to the primary risks.
It has supporting infrastructure that is also of concern.
In early 2017, the Trump administration decided on a policy we have referred to as the “maximum
pressure campaign.”
The campaign enacted the strongest economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea
in history.
The goal was to set the conditions for the DPRK to make a strategic decision to denuclearize
as the best means by which it will achieve its own security.
American leadership rallied the international community to send a strong message to Chairman
Kim Jong Un and the world that we would not stand for the DPRK’s illegal weapons programs.
The President’s bold decision to meet with Chairman Kim Jong Un grew from this incredibly
strong and targeted campaign.
The President’s policy directly led to the historic summit that will take place on June
12th in Singapore.
Back on March 8th, Chairman Kim Jong Un expressed his desire to meet with President Trump as
soon as possible.
And then on May 9th, I met with Chairman Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang and explained America’s
expectations for denuclearization.
At that time, we also secured the release of three Americans: Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim,
and Kim Hak-song.
We view this as a sign of goodwill from Chairman Kim Jong Un.
The United States and North Korea have been holding direct talks in preparation for a
summit, and North Korea has confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearize.
A comprehensive whole-of-government effort in support of President Trump’s upcoming
summit is under way.
White House- and State Department-led advance teams are finalizing logistical preparations
and will remain in place in Singapore until the summit begins.
The President continues to follow every development closely, and is getting daily briefings from
his national security team.
The fact that our two leaders are coming to the table shows that the two sides are very
serious.
The diplomatic model we’ve used to date is different from past efforts.
Our efforts give us hope that we can find real success where past efforts have fallen
short.
President Trump is hopeful, but he’s also going into the summit with his eyes wide open.
We’ve seen how many inadequate agreements have been struck in the past.
And you can be sure that President Trump will not stand for a bad deal.
The United States has been clear, time and time again, that complete, verifiable, and
irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the only outcome that we will
find acceptable.
The President recognizes that North Korea has great potential, and he looks forward
to a day when sanctions on the DPRK can begin to be removed.
However, that cannot happen until the DPRK completely and verifiably eliminates its weapons
of mass destruction programs.
President Trump and Chairman Kim will certainly also discuss security assurances for the DPRK,
establishing a peace regime, and improving relations between our two countries.
Until we achieve our goals, the measures that the world, alongside the United States, has
put on the regime will remain.
In the event diplomacy does not move in the right direction, these measures will increase.
Throughout the entire process, the United States has been unified with Japan and South
Korea in response to the threats from North Korea.
I will be traveling with my — excuse me, I will be traveling to meet with my Japanese
and South Korean counterparts after the summit to continue to coordinate with them.
I will also stop in Beijing following the Singapore summit.
I’ll provide them with an update and underscore the importance of fully implementing all sanctions
that are imposed on North Korea.
President Trump recognizes North Korea’s desire for security and is prepared to ensure
a DPRK free of its weapons of mass destruction is also a secure North Korea.
President Trump has made it clear that if Kim Jong Un denuclearizes, there is a brighter
path for North Korea and its people.
We envision a strong, connected, secure, and prosperous North Korea that is integrated
into the community of nations.
We think that the people of the United States and North Korea can create a future defined
by friendship and collaboration, and not by mistrust and fear.
We believe that Chairman Kim Jong Un shares this positive vision for the future, and we
are committed to finding a path forward.
And we assume and hope that that belief is sincere.
We’re looking forward to being in Singapore in just a few days.