Seoul: Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that North Korea's denuclearization will only occur with Chinese President Xi Jinping's "permission" and "direction," emphasizing the necessity to prevent Beijing from using Pyongyang as a "strategic tool."

According to Yonhap News Agency, during a forum, Pompeo, who was the chief diplomat in President Donald Trump's first administration, discussed his nuclear negotiations with North Korea in 2018 and 2019. He claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has limited freedom on the nuclear issue due to the close ties between Beijing and Pyongyang. Pompeo mentioned the absence of incentives to persuade the regime to abandon its nuclear program and noted the limited options available, while suggesting that Kim might seek economic sanctions relief if nuclear talks with the United States resume.

Pompeo expressed, "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," during a discussion hosted by D and A LLC, a South Korean law firm. He emphasized the importance of focusing on Beijing to deter its use of North Korea as a strategic asset.

The former diplomat was responding to a query about potential strategies to advance diplomacy with Pyongyang, acknowledging that previous negotiations were "unsuccessful." He recalled Kim's interactions with Xi before and after U.S. negotiations, noting Kim's three meetings with Trump during Trump's first term, including summits in Singapore, Hanoi, and the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.

Pompeo stated, "(Kim) traveled to Singapore, to Hanoi and then the third summit actually on the border. Each time, he reported back to Beijing, both before and after the meetings. This was really Xi Jinping with whom we were negotiating." He emphasized the intertwined nature of China and North Korea, viewing the nuclear issue as a broader China-related problem.

Reflecting on his encounter with Kim, Pompeo described the North Korean leader as "nasty" and "evil," asserting, "He believes that the Korean Peninsula is his. They have been wronged, and he's determined to find a methodology (to) get it back." Pompeo expressed doubt that the Trump administration would recognize North Korea as a nuclear state, amid speculation of shifting diplomatic objectives.

"I would be very surprised if there would be a formal statement accepting North Korea as a nuclear nation," he remarked. He added skepticism about using negotiations for a Nobel Peace Prize, asserting, "That's not the avenue."

Pompeo advocated for maximizing pressure on the regime by limiting resources, which he argued bolster military capabilities instead of aiding the populace. He also supported South Korea's pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, highlighting potential bipartisan congressional support for such initiatives.

"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," Pompeo concluded.