US vows to make DPRK rich if it gives up nuclear arsenal

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The United States promised on Friday that it would work to rebuild the sanctions-crippled economy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) if Pyongyang agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's vow came as a senior US official expressed growing optimism ahead of the landmark June 12 summit between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

Pompeo, who held talks with Pyongyang's young leader over the weekend, even said: "We have a pretty good understanding between our two countries about what the shared objectives are."

DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang on May 9, 2018. /VCG Photo

"If North Korea (DPRK) takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea (DPRK) to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," he said.

He was speaking after talks with his South Korean counterpart Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to coordinate Washington and Seoul's preparations for the historic encounter.

Kang Kyung-wha, South Korea's foreign minister, speaks as Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, listens during a news conference in Washington, D.C., US, May 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

Kang and Pompeo believed that they agreed on the need for the "total, permanent and verifiable" denuclearisation of the divided peninsula.

Trump and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in are due to meet on May 22 at the White House for the next round of planning.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters