SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Russia, China and other countries on Saturday against any violation of international sanctions on North Korea that could reduce pressure on the North to abandon its nuclear weapons. Pompeo's comments came on the heels of a new United Nations report that found North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs and is violating U.N. sanctions, including through illicit ship-to-ship transfers of oil.

North Korea quickly shot back at Washington, with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho saying that recent moves by the U.S. are "alarming." Ri and Pompeo both made their comments at an Asian security forum in Singapore.

Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. has new, credible reports that Russia is violating U.N. sanctions by allowing joint ventures with North Korean companies and issuing new permits for North Korean guest workers. He said Washington would take "very seriously" any violations, and called for them to be roundly condemned and reversed.

"If these reports prove accurate, and we have every reason to believe that they are, that would be in violation," Pompeo said, noting that the U.N. Security Council had voted unanimously in favor of the sanctions. "I want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something we will discuss with Moscow."

"We expect the Russians and all countries to abide to the U.N. Security Council resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea," he said. "Any violation that detracts from the world's goal of finally, fully denuclearizing North Korea would be something that America would take very seriously."

Later Saturday, Pompeo went to greet Ri during a group photo of the ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting. They shook hands and briefly exchanged smiles and a few words. Pompeo then went back to his place.

Ri later addressed fellow foreign ministers at the security forum, though Pompeo had already left to fly to Indonesia.

Ri said that North Korea has "initiated goodwill measures" by declaring a moratorium on nuclear tests and rocket launches and dismantling a nuclear testing ground, but that the U.S. has responded by "raising its voice louder for maintaining the sanctions against the DPRK and showing the attitude to retreat even from declaring the end of war, a very basic and primary step for providing peace on the Korean Peninsula." North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the U.S. to go back to the old, far from its leader's intention," Ri said.

"Worse still, extremely inappropriate moves are shown of putting pressure on other countries not to send high-level delegations to the celebrations marking the 70th founding anniversary of the DPRK in September this year," Ri said.

Later Saturday, Pompeo said in a tweet that he "had the chance to speak with" Ri on Saturday. "We had a quick, polite exchange," Pompeo said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said President Donald Trump's reply to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's latest letter was hand-delivered to Ri in Singapore.

Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Trump's reply to Kim was given to Ri by Sung Kim, the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines who has been leading logistical negotiations with the North on its pledge to denuclearize. Nauert would not address the content of Trump's letter to Kim.

The White House said earlier in the week that Kim had sent a new letter to Trump and that the president had written a response.

At the United Nations, a summary of a report by experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against North Korea was sent to the Security Council on Friday that said North Korea is continuing with both its nuclear and missile programs. And, in addition to the oil transfers, it said the North was violating sanctions by transferring coal at sea and flouting an arms embargo and financial sanctions.

Late Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley raised the alarm, saying that "talk is cheap." ''Russia cannot support sanctions with their words in the Security Council only to violate them with their actions," she said in a statement. She made the remarks as the U.S. asked the Security Council to add a North Korean bank executive, a North Korean company, a Chinese company and a Russian bank to the U.N. sanctions blacklist.

In his discussions with Southeast Asian officials in Singapore, Pompeo said he had implored them all to "strictly enforce all sanctions," including an end to ship-to-ship transfers of oil for North Korea, and had been encouraged by the response.

Despite the warning to Russia, Pompeo said he remained optimistic that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will follow through on his pledge to Trump to denuclearize. But he said the timeline for the North's full and final denuclearization remains a work in progress.

Earlier, in an interview with a Singapore's Channel News Asia, Pompeo had said the pace for the dismantlement of the North's nuclear weapons program would rest with Kim. "The ultimate timeline for denuclearization will be set by Chairman Kim, at least in part," he said. "The decision is his."

At the news conference, however, Pompeo appeared to step back from that comment, noting that the timeline is subject to negotiation between Washington and Pyongyang. He recalled that Kim had committed to denuclearization at the historic summit with Trump on June 12 in Singapore and that both sides "have been working since then to develop the process through which that will be achieved."

"The process of achieving denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is one that I think we have all known will take some time," Pompeo said, adding later: "I am optimistic that we will get this done in a timeline and the world will celebrate what the U.N. Security Council has demanded."

Pompeo said on Friday that while there's "still a ways to go," the United States remains "confident" in North Korea's commitment to denuclearize.

On Thursday, the White House announced that Trump had received a new letter from Kim and had responded quickly with a letter of his own. The correspondence came amid fresh concerns over Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization despite a rosy picture of progress painted by Trump.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Amid smiles and diplomatic niceties, U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his north Korea counterpart exchanged barbs and accusations Saturday in Singapore, with Washington warning that no sanctions would be lifted until North Korea fully denuclearizes and Pyongyang countering that it would not be bullied.

At a security conference in the same city-state where President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met two months ago, Pompeo's delegation also delivered a letter from Trump to the Kim.

Although Trump has declared that North Korea "is no longer a nuclear threat," Pompeo and North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho made it clear in remarks to the the annual ASEAN Regional Forum that the two sides remain far apart on the issue.

Pompeo's comments came one day after a report by experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against North Korea was sent to the U.N. Security Council that said Pyongyang is continuing with both its nuclear and missile programs. It also said the North was violating sanctions by transferring coal at sea and flouting an arms embargo and financial sanctions.

In remarks to reporters in Singapore, Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. has new, credible reports that Russia is violating the sanctions by allowing joint ventures with North Korean companies and issuing new permits for North Korean guest workers. He said Washington would take “very seriously” any violations, and called for them to be roundly condemned and reversed.

The secretary, in his speech, warned that no sanctions would be lifted until North Korea fully and finally denuclearizes.

Although Pompeo had already left for Indonesia by the time Ri spoke, the North Korean diplomat pulled no punches.

“Confidence is not a sentiment to be cultivated overnight,” he said. “In order to build full confidence between the DPRK and the U.S., it is essential for both sides to take simultaneous actions and phased steps to do what is possible one after another.” North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“Only when the U.S. ensures that we feel comfortable with and come close to it, will we be able to open our minds to the U.S. and show it in action,” he said.

The U.S. has previously rejected calls for a phased approach, insisting on maintaining the sanctions until the North delivers on its commitments.

“What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the U.S. to go back to the old, far from its leader’s intention,” Ri said.

The North Korean diplomat said the U.S. has maintained hostility instead of responding in kind to North Korea’s suspension of nuclear tests and missile launches and other goodwill gestures, such as the return of suspected remains of American troops killed in the Korean War.

“The United States, instead of responding to these measures, is raising its voice louder for maintaining the sanctions against the DPRK and showing the attitude to retreat even from declaring the end of war, a very basic and primary step for providing peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

He also accused Washington of taking “extremely inappropriate moves” by discouraging third countries from sending high-level delegations to the North’s 70th anniversary celebrations in September.

Pompeo later tweeted from Indonesia that the two men "had a quick, polite exchange” and noted that the U.S. side had delivered Trump's letter for Kim.

At the forum, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano weighed in on the dispute between Washington and Pyongyang, saying the rapprochement between the two countries, along with completion of a negotiating draft of the code of conduct, are a breakthrough.

But he added that “like any other breakthrough in diplomatic negotiations, they may lead to something great, they may lead to nothing.” </s> Amid smiles and diplomatic niceties, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his North Korean counterpart exchanged barbs and accusations Saturday in Singapore.

Washington warned no sanctions would be lifted until North Korea fully denuclearizes and Pyongyang countered it would not be bullied.

At a security conference in the same city-state where President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met two months ago for a historic summit, Pompeo's delegation also delivered a letter from Trump to Kim.

Although Trump has declared North Korea "is no longer a nuclear threat," Pompeo and North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho made it clear in remarks to the the annual ASEAN Regional Forum that the two sides remain far apart on the issue.

Pompeo's comments came one day after a report by experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against North Korea said Pyongyang is continuing with both its nuclear and missile programs. It also said the North was violating sanctions by transferring coal at sea and flouting an arms embargo and financial sanctions.

In remarks to reporters in Singapore, Pompeo said the U.S. has new, credible reports Russia is violating the sanctions by allowing joint ventures with North Korean companies and issuing new permits for North Korean guest workers. He said Washington would take “very seriously” any violations, and called for them to be roundly condemned and reversed.

The secretary, in his speech, warned that no sanctions would be lifted until North Korea fully and finally denuclearizes.

Although Pompeo had already left for Indonesia by the time Ri spoke, the North Korean diplomat pulled no punches.

“Confidence is not a sentiment to be cultivated overnight,” he said. “In order to build full confidence between the DPRK and the U.S., it is essential for both sides to take simultaneous actions and phased steps to do what is possible one after another.” North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

“Only when the U.S. ensures that we feel comfortable with and come close to it, will we be able to open our minds to the U.S. and show it in action,” he said.

The U.S. has previously rejected calls for a phased approach, insisting on maintaining the sanctions until the North delivers on its commitments.

“What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the U.S. to go back to the old, far from its leader’s intention,” Ri said. </s> U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday brushed aside North Korea's accusation of "gangster-like" demands, maintaining that his third visit to the country was producing results but vowing that sanctions would remain until Pyongyang follows through on leader Kim Jong Un's pledge to get rid of his nuclear weapons.

Pompeo downplayed North Korea's statement after the talks in which the country's foreign ministry bashed hopes for a quick deal and accused the U.S. of making "gangster-like" demands aimed at forcing it to abandon nuclear weapons.

The North's statement, coming so soon after Pompeo's trip, was sure to fuel growing skepticism in the U.S. over how serious Kim is about giving up his nuclear arsenal.

"If those requests were gangster-like, the world is a gangster," Pompeo said, noting that numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions have demanded that the North rid itself of nuclear weapons and end its ballistic missile program.

"People are going to make stray comments after meetings," Pompeo said. "If I paid attention to the press, I'd go nuts."

Speaking after meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Tokyo, Pompeo said his two days of talks in Pyongyang had been productive and conducted in good faith. But following the stinging commentary from the North, he allowed that the goal of denuclearization would be difficult and that much work remains.

"The road ahead will be difficult and challenging and we know critics will try to minimize what we have achieved," he said. Two days of talks with senior North Korean officials had "made progress," he said, and included a "detailed and substantive discussion about the next steps."

Those include the formation of working group to determine exactly how North Korea's denuclearization will be verified and a Thursday meeting with Pentagon officials to discuss the return of remains of Americans soldiers killed during the Korean War.

Pompeo sought to dispel suggestions that the Trump administration has backed down from demanding the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of the North's nuclear weapons. He said North Korea understood that denuclearization must be "complete" and "verified."

However, Pompeo said the progress achieved thus far did not warrant any concessions. "While we are encouraged by the progress of these talks, progress alone does not justify the easing of the sanctions regime," he said.

"Sanctions will remain in place until final fully verified denuclearization as agreed to by Chairman Kim Jong Un has occurred," he said.

After the historic U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore, President Donald Trump declared the North was no longer a threat and would hand over the remains of American soldiers. Yet three weeks later, the two sides were still divided on all the issues, including exactly what denuclearization means and how it might be verified. And, the promised remains have yet to be delivered.

Just hours after Pompeo arrived in Tokyo, the North blasted the discussions, saying the visit had been "regrettable."

In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, the foreign ministry said the outcome of Pompeo's talks with senior official Kim Yong Chol was "very concerning" because it has led to a "dangerous phase that might rattle our willingness for denuclearization that had been firm."

"We had expected that the U.S. side would offer constructive measures that would help build trust based on the spirit of the leaders' summit ... we were also thinking about providing reciprocal measures," it said. "However, the attitude and stance the United States showed in the first high-level meeting (between the countries) was no doubt regrettable. Our expectations and hopes were so naive it could be called foolish."

It said the North had raised the issue of formally ending the Korean War, which concluded with an armistice and not a peace treaty, but the U.S. came up with a variety of "conditions and excuses" to delay a declaration. It downplayed the significance of the United States suspending its military exercises with South Korea, something trumpeted by Trump after the summit as a success, by saying it made a larger concession by blowing up the tunnels at a nuclear test site.

In criticizing the talks with Pompeo, however, it carefully avoided attacking Trump personally, saying "we wholly maintain our trust toward President Trump," but stressed that Washington must not allow "headwinds" against the "wills of the leaders." That appeared to be a reference to Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, a prominent North Korea hawk who has been vilified by Pyongyang in the past. Pompeo spoke with Trump, Bolton and White House chief of staff John Kelly on Saturday before his second round of meetings with Kim Yong Chol.

A former top U.S. diplomat for Asia, Daniel Russel, said the setback was to be expected and warned Trump he is engaged in a long negotiation that would not produce easy quick, made for television results that the president likely wants.

"Dealing with North Korea is hard because Kim Jong Un wants it to be hard," said Russel, who was assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Obama administration. "If you make the Americans fight for every inch, the Americans will start measuring progress in inches — and will wind up paying by the inch. At this point, even to get the North Koreans to follow through with the return of Korean War-era MIA remains, would feel like a big win for Pompeo, even though it wouldn't affect the nuclear threat."

"Kim can afford to play hardball because it's clear to him that Trump, who has already told Americans they can sleep soundly because the threat is now over, badly wants a deal," Russel said. "And when you want it bad, you get it bad. Why should the North Koreans make concessions to one of Trump's aides given the president's record of undercutting them?"

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> US warns Russia, others on enforcing North Korea sanctions

SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Russia, China and other countries on Saturday against any violation of international sanctions on North Korea that could reduce pressure on the North to abandon its nuclear weapons. Pompeo's comments came on the heels of a new United Nations report that found North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs and is violating U.N. sanctions, including through illicit ship-to-ship transfers of oil.

Speaking on the sidelines of an Asian security forum in Singapore, Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. has new, credible reports that Russia is violating U.N. sanctions by allowing joint ventures with North Korean companies and issuing new permits for North Korean guest workers. He said Washington would take "very seriously" any violations, and called for them to be roundly condemned and reversed.

"If these reports prove accurate, and we have every reason to believe that they are, that would be in violation," Pompeo said, noting that the U.N. Security Council had voted unanimously in favor of the sanctions. "I want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something we will discuss with Moscow."

"We expect the Russians and all countries to abide to the U.N. Security Council resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea," he said. "Any violation that detracts from the world's goal of finally, fully denuclearizing North Korea would be something that America would take very seriously."

Later Saturday, during a group photo of the ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting, Pompeo went to greet North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho. They shook hands and briefly exchanged smiles and a few words. Pompeo then went back to his place.

At the United Nations, a summary of a report by experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against North Korea was sent to the Security Council on Friday that said North Korea is continuing with both its nuclear and missile programs. And, in addition to the oil transfers, it said the North was violating sanctions by transferring coal at sea and flouting an arms embargo and financial sanctions.

Late Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley raised the alarm, saying that "talk is cheap." ''Russia cannot support sanctions with their words in the Security Council only to violate them with their actions," she said in a statement. She made the remarks as the U.S. asked the Security Council to add a North Korean bank executive, a North Korean company, a Chinese company and a Russian bank to the U.N. sanctions blacklist.

In his discussions with Southeast Asian officials in Singapore, Pompeo said he had implored them all to "strictly enforce all sanctions," including an end to ship-to-ship transfers of oil for North Korea, and had been encouraged by the response.

Despite the warning to Russia, Pompeo said he remained optimistic that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will follow through on his pledge to President Donald Trump to denuclearize. But he said the timeline for the North's full and final denuclearization remains a work in progress.

Earlier, in an interview with a Singapore's Channel News Asia, Pompeo had said the pace for the dismantlement of the North's nuclear weapons program would rest with Kim. "The ultimate timeline for denuclearization will be set by Chairman Kim, at least in part," he said. "The decision is his."

At the news conference, however, Pompeo appeared to step back from that comment, noting that the timeline is subject to negotiation between Washington and Pyongyang. He recalled that Kim had committed to denuclearization at the historic summit with Trump on June 12 in Singapore and that both sides "have been working since then to develop the process through which that will be achieved."

"The process of achieving denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is one that I think we have all known will take some time," Pompeo said, adding later: "I am optimistic that we will get this done in a timeline and the world will celebrate what the U.N. Security Council has demanded."

Pompeo said on Friday that while there's "still a ways to go," the United States remains "confident" in North Korea's commitment to denuclearize.

On Thursday, the White House announced that Trump had received a new letter from Kim and had responded quickly with a letter of his own. The correspondence came amid fresh concerns over Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization despite a rosy picture of progress painted by Trump.

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. </s> U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to North Korea to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un on Sunday in preparation for a second denuclearization summit between President Donald Trump and the Asian country’s dictator, a Department of State spokesperson said Tuesday.

“These conversations are going in the right direction, and we feel confident enough to hop a plane to head there to continue the conversations,” Heather Nauert, a spokeswoman for DOS, told reporters.

The spokeswoman noted that negotiations to convince Kim to take credible steps towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for relief from international sanctions are ongoing, adding:

I think it shows forward progress and momentum that the secretary is making his fourth trip back in less than a year. The first of course was as CIA director. This will be his third as secretary of state, and that shows the president’s commitment to the agreement that he and Chairman Kim came to at the Singapore Summit [in June]. The secretary going on for follow-on conversations. As we often say, the conversations continue. Of course we have quite a ways to go but we look forward to the next steps in this conversation.

Nauert said that Pompeo remains “hopeful” that the Trump administration’s goal of a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula might be achieved by January 2021.

The secretary and the president said we’re not going to set arbitrary deadlines in the interim. We’re hopeful. We’re working toward that goal. Everyone recognizes that we have a way to go. A ways to go and a lot of work that is left to be done. I’m not going to get ahead of the secretary’s meetings that he’ll have in Pyongyang but I know he looks forward to continuing the conversation.

Nauert pointed out that the easing of sanctions remains contingent upon the verification of credible steps towards the peninsula’s complete denuclearization, telling reporters:

Our [sanctions] policies [towards North Korea] have not changed one bit. We got behind the maximum pressure campaign. The United States government still stands firmly behind the sanctions put in place. The world stands behind those sanctions that are put in place. We’ve not eased that one bit. In fact, every chance we have the opportunity to discuss – whether it’s with China or Russia or any other country around the world, we’re talking about keeping the sanctions in place and not easing those sanctions on North Korea until we see the fully verified denuclearization.

Her comments came a day after a South Korean minister told lawmakers in his country that dictator Kim is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons, shedding light on the regime’s secret program.

Nauert said last week that Pompeo made plans to travel to North Korea when he met with the Asian country’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 26.

“Secretary Pompeo accepted Chairman Kim’s invitation to travel to Pyongyang next month to make further progress on the implementation of the commitments from the US-DPRK Singapore summit, including the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK, and to prepare for a second summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim,” the spokeswoman noted in a statement.

In June, President Trump held an unprecedented meeting with Kim.

Alluding to a second U.S.-North Korea summit that day, President Trump Trump said the meeting would happen “fairly quickly.”

Kim “wants to see things happen for North Korea that are great,” Trump told reporters.

“They really have the potential” to be an economic power, he also said, adding, “A lot of good things are happening.” </s> US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho at the ASEAN Regional Forum Retreat in Singapore August 4, 2018.

SINGAPORE - North Korea and the United States on Saturday sparred over an agreement reached at a landmark summit in June for the Asian country to end its nuclear programme, as Washington called for maintaining sanctions pressure against Pyongyang, which in turn said it was alarmed by US intentions.

The discord at a regional forum in Singapore was the latest reminder of the difficulties that have long impaired efforts to negotiate an end to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, despite commitments made at an unprecedented summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the city state less than two months ago.

"The DPRK stands firm in its determination and commitment for implementing the DPRK-US Joint Statement in a responsible and good-faith manner," North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the ASEAN Regional Forum, using his country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"What is alarming however is the insistent moves manifested within the US to go back to the old, far from its leader's intention," he said.

Ri made the statement after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had left the Singapore conference centre for Indonesia having pressed Southeast Asian nations to maintain sanctions on North Korea until it gives up a nuclear weapons programme that now threatens the United States.

At the June 12 summit, Kim, who is seeking relief from tough sanctions, committed to work towards denuclearisation, but North Korea has offered no details on how it might go about this.

Pompeo suggested on Friday that continued work on weapons programs by North Korea was inconsistent with Kim's commitment to denuclearize. On Saturday, he nevertheless said he was optimistic a North Korean denuclearisation could be achieved although it "would take some time."

Ri said North Korea had made goodwill gestures, including a moratorium on nuclear tests and rocket launches and the dismantling of a nuclear test ground.

"However, the United States, instead of responding to these measures, is raising its voice louder for maintaining the sanctions against the DPRK and showing the attitude to retreat even from declaring the end of the war, a very basic and primary step for providing peace on the Korean peninsula," he said.

On Saturday, Pompeo said Washington took very seriously any relaxation of UN sanctions, calling out Russia for possibly violating a UN resolution by issuing work visas to North Korean workers.

"I want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something that we will discuss with Moscow," he said. "We expect the Russians and all countries to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea."

Russia has denied a report by the Wall Street Journal that said Moscow was allowing thousands of fresh North Korean laborers into the country and granting them work permits in a potential breach of U.N sanctions.

Russia's ambassador to North Korea also denied Moscow was flouting UN restrictions on oil supplies to North Korea.

According to a confidential UN report seen by Reuters on Friday, North Korea has not stopped nuclear and missile programs in violation of United Nations sanctions.

Although Pompeo has been leading US negotiating efforts with North Korea, he had no formal meeting with Ri in Singapore. However, at a group photo session on Saturday, he walked up to the North Korean and shook hands and exchanged words and smiles.

He told Ri: "We should talk again soon," the State Department said.

"I agree, there are many productive conversations to be had," Ri replied, according to the State Department.

Pompeo later tweeted that it had been "a quick, polite exchange" and there had been the opportunity to deliver a letter for Kim Jong Un from Trump.

US Ambassador Sung Kim handed Ri the letter, which the State Department said was in return for one from Kim to Trump that the White House said was received on Wednesday. The State Department has not said what is in Trump's letter to Kim.

Trump posted a note on Twitter on Thursday thanking Kim for returning the remains of US soldiers from the Korean War and saying he looked forward to seeing Kim again "soon", although the White House said no second meeting was currently planned.

It is not the first time since the summit that North Korea has appeared to offer a more negative impression of the progress of talks with the United States that Washington.

Following a trip to Pyongyang in July, Pompeo spoke of progress, but as soon as he had left the country North Korea accused him of "gangster-like" diplomacy, casting doubts about the future of the discussions.

Even so, Trump has continued to hail progress, emphasizing the halt in bomb and missile tests and North Korea's return of purported American war remains.

A senior State Department official sought to play down Ri's statement, saying it was to be expected.

"Much of the intervention was positive and that's an improvement from the past," the official said. "We're building a relationship with North Korea after years of difficult relations."

Since US talks with North Korea resumed this year, Pompeo has primarily engaged with Kim Yong Chol, a top North Korean party official and former spy agency chief, not Ri.

Pompeo told a Senate committee hearing on July 25 that North Korea was continuing to produce fuel for nuclear bombs in spite of its denuclearisation pledge.

On Monday, a senior US official said US spy satellites had detected renewed activity at the North Korean factory that produced the country's first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States. </s> US and North Korean officials have traded polite words and then barbs in the latest round of diplomacy, leaving efforts to rid Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons at an uncertain point. At a security conference in Singapore, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused North Korea and countries including Russia of continuing to violate UN sanctions aimed at pressing the North to give up its nuclear arsenal. But at the same time, he oversaw the handover of a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from US President Donald Trump and exchanged pleasantries with the North’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho. Mr Ri, meanwhile, greeted Mr Pompeo with a smile and posed for photos – but then delivered a scathing attack on the Trump administration for approaching the negotiation poorly by insisting on sanctions enforcement.

Mr Ri said North Korea would not be forced into acting unilaterally, and demanded that the US undertakes “confidence building” measures if the negotiation is to be successful. After Mr Pompeo warned once again that no sanctions would be lifted until North Korea fully and finally denuclearises, Mr Ri told the annual ASEAN Regional Forum that the North will not be bullied into concessions. “Confidence is not a sentiment to be cultivated overnight,” he said. “In order to build full confidence between the DPRK and the US, it is essential for both sides to take simultaneous actions and phased steps to do what is possible one after another. “Only when the US ensures that we feel comfortable with and come close to it, will we be able to open our minds to the US and show it in action.”

The US has previously dismissed calls for a phased approach, insisting that sanctions be maintained until the North delivers on its commitments but suggesting some other steps may be possible. Mr Ri, though, appeared unmoved and accused elements of the US government of going against Mr Trump’s wishes by taking a hard line on sanctions. “What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the US to go back to the old, far from its leader’s intention,” he said. Instead of responding reciprocally to North Korea’s suspension of nuclear tests and missile launches and other goodwill gestures such as the return of suspected remains of American troops killed in the Korean War, the US has maintained hostility, Mr Ri said. “The United States, instead of responding to these measures, is raising its voice louder for maintaining the sanctions against the DPRK and showing the attitude to retreat even from declaring the end of war, a very basic and primary step for providing peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

He also accused Washington of taking “extremely inappropriate moves” by discouraging third countries from sending high-level delegations to the North’s 70th anniversary celebrations in September. Mr Pompeo had already left the meeting in Singapore when Mr Ri delivered his remarks in order to travel to Jakarta for talks with senior Indonesian officials. As he arrived in Jakarta, the State Department said that a written reply to Mr Kim from Mr Trump had been delivered to Mr Ri in Singapore. “We had a quick, polite exchange,” Mr Pompeo tweeted. “Our US delegation also had the opportunity to deliver (Trump’s) reply to Chairman Kim’s letter.” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Mr Trump’s reply to Mr Kim was given to Mr Ri by Sung Kim, the US ambassador to the Philippines who has been leading logistical negotiations with the North on its pledge to denuclearise. Ms Nauert would not address the content of the letter. The White House said earlier in the week that the North Korean leader had sent a new letter to Mr Trump and that the president had written a response. </s> President Donald Trump is now in Vietnam for his second formal summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. From the beginning of this process, one of the biggest concerns was that Trump would be too eager to cut a deal. His lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize, for example, suggests he is quite invested in a legacy-defining outcome.

To combat this perception, the administration has emphasized a hard line: No sanctions relief unless and until North Korea has totally and verifiably denuclearized.

Except with Trump now meeting with Kim again, that line has clearly been softened. And its softening suggests that eagerness to cut a deal may be lurking.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on NBC News last week and played up what he labeled the toughest sanctions North Korea has ever faced. “And we won’t release that pressure until such time as we’re confident that we’ve substantially reduced that risk,” he said.

That caught the ear of many, including CNN’s Jake Tapper, who noted in an interview with Pompeo on Sunday that “substantially reduced that risk” wasn’t as firm as the complete and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons.

But Pompeo insisted there had been no change. He said the sanctions implemented by the United Nations Security Council in 2017 would indeed remain in place until there was “full, verified denuclearization.” But he also suggested other types of sanctions could potentially be relaxed before then.

“Remember these sanctions cover a broad array of activities,” he said. “The core economic sanctions, the sanctions that prevent countries from conducting trade, creating wealth for North Korea, those sanctions are definitely going to remain in place. There are other things we could do – exchanges of people, lots of other ways that North Korea is sanctioned today – that if we get a substantial step and move forward we could certainly provide an outlet which would demonstrate our commitment to the process as well.”

This seems like a shift in emphasis at least. Pompeo hadn’t previously carved out these other types of sanctions when delivering his ultimatums; he simply said no sanctions relief without total denuclearization, full stop.

Maybe he thought it was just assumed that he was talking only about the U.N. sanctions? But a look back at Pompeo’s remarks suggests this is more than just a matter of emphasis. At multiple points over the past year, Pompeo has said outright or clearly suggested that no sanctions would be lifted short of total denuclearization. What’s more, he often did so while emphasizing that the Trump administration wouldn’t entertain the kind of incremental approach that it now seems to be considering.

“We’re not going to relieve sanctions until such time as we achieved our objectives,” he said in May 2018. “We are not going to do this in small increments, where the world is essentially coerced into relieving economic pressure.”

He added in June: “The president has been very clear: Sanctions will not be lifted until such time as the denuclearization itself has been completed. Look, we’ve been down the path before where promises have been made and not kept.”

Pompeo repeatedly mentioned sanctions remaining in place without indicating that he was referring to just U.N. or economic sanctions. And in fact, in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July, he made clear that both U.N. and U.S.-imposed sanctions were included in the ultimatum.

“Until North Korea eliminates its weapons of mass destruction, our sanctions and those at the United Stations will remain – United Nations – will remain in effect,” he said.

In November, CBS’ John Dickerson asked whether “any economic sanctions” would be lifted before total denuclearization. Pompeo again said they would not be:

DICKERSON: Mr. Secretary, you said that North Korea will not see any economic sanctions lifted until it has demonstrated complete denuclearization. Is that still your position?

SECRETARY POMPEO: It is. Not only complete denuclearization, but our capacity to verify that that has taken place.

But by last month, we started to see some cracks in the ultimatum. While interviewing Pompeo, Fox News’ Rich Edson noted that Kim in his New Year’s address floated limited sanctions relief for incremental steps including a pledge not to transfer arms. Pompeo didn’t dismiss it out of hand.

Edson then asked him whether the administration’s position remained that same, that North Korea had to give up its nuclear arms to get any sanctions relief. Pompeo demurred. Rather than saying this was the demand, he instead described it as “the objective”:

EDSON: And the position is still the same: They must give up their nuclear weapons in order to get sanctions relief from the United States?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I don’t think there has been a single variant from the core proposition, which is the fully denuclearized North Korea, as verified by international experts, is the objective of this administration. We intend to achieve that.
• Court rules that the Mueller appointment is valid
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• Trump warns GOP not to fall for ‘trap’ set by Democrats Fast-forward to today, and Pompeo is now making clear that certain types of sanctions (though not the core U.N. sanctions) could indeed be on the table. And that’s a shift – both tonally and practically – from where this whole thing began.

It doesn’t mean he and Trump will launch themselves headlong into a bad deal. But it does mean they aren’t being as firm as they once were.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the U.S. would lift sanctions against North Korea if the latter would dismantle its nuclear weapons program.