US-North Korea Negotiations; Pompeo's Visit to Seoul and Beijing

Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, held discussions in Seoul with officials from South Korea and Japan regarding negotiations between the United States and North Korea. He will then travel to Beijing on his first trip as Secretary of State. The South Korean state news agency reports that the talks on June 14 in Seoul, involving Pompeo, Taro Kono, and Kang Kyung-wha, the foreign ministers of the US, Japan, and South Korea, are aimed at maintaining the 'opportunity created by the Pyongyang-Washington negotiations.' Pompeo also met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who stated to reporters that 'there are significant differences in views regarding the outcome of the negotiations (between the US and North Korea), but the most important reality is that it has helped to alleviate the threat of nuclear war and long-range missiles from the entire world, including the people of the US, Japan, and China.' Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, the leaders of the US and North Korea, signed an agreement during a historic meeting in Singapore on June 12, aimed at moving towards the complete denuclearization of North Korea. On the same day, it was announced that the Trump administration's Secretary of State would meet with his counterparts in East Asia to provide more details about these negotiations and discuss the future ahead. Pompeo was part of Trump's delegation during the negotiations. He has stated that his role is to 'move this process forward,' meaning he will lead the nuclear negotiations with North Korea. The US Secretary of State emphasized that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will achieve 'significant progress' by the end of Trump's first term. The Japanese news agency Kyodo reports that the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea are expected to 'request as many details as possible from the US-North Korea negotiations.' Meanwhile, Trump's comments regarding the cessation of 'war games' in the Korean Peninsula, which seems to imply stopping the usual military exercises and drills between the US and South Korea, have faced widespread reactions in the region. South Korean and Japanese media report that US officials are expected to provide further explanations regarding these statements from their president. Several regional publications suggest that ending the joint exercises of the US and its allies could be a trump card for China. For instance, the Japanese publication Nikkei and the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post state that this is the same plan proposed by China with Russian support, titled 'suspension for suspension,' meaning stopping military exercises in exchange for halting North Korea's nuclear program. On the other hand, the US president, who has criticized the high costs of Washington's support for its allies, reiterated this issue on his Twitter account on Wednesday. Trump stated, 'As long as both sides (the US and North Korea) are negotiating in good faith, which both sides are doing; if we do not conduct war games, we save a lot of money.' The US president has previously emphasized that military maneuvers are very expensive and 'provocative.' He also stated, 'I do everything to create a better world and save millions of lives.' After meetings in Seoul, Mike Pompeo will head to Beijing for the first time as the US Secretary of State. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Pompeo's visit on Wednesday and added that he is expected to provide explanations about the Trump-Kim negotiations to officials in Beijing.