WAIT WHAT?

Pompeo Ditches His Own Deadline for North Korea Denuclearization

Says of previous target: “My comment about 2021 was not mine.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has canned his previously stated deadline for North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons. Just two weeks ago, Pompeo said he wanted North Korea to denuclearize by the end of Donald Trump’s first term as president, in January 2021. But he’s rolled back on that deadline, telling reporters somewhat confusingly: “My comment about 2021 was not mine.” He went on to explain: “I repeated it but it was a comment that had been made by the leaders who had their inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang. They talked about 2021 when they were gathered there. So I was reiterating this as a timeline that they were potentially prepared to agree to.” Pompeo is set to visit Pyongyang on Sunday for nuclear negotiations, his first trip since an earlier one was canceled by Trump over a lack of progress.