Memoir of former U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo
A bloody joke during a visit to North Korea in 2018
▲ Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Baekhwawon State Guest House in Pyongyang, North Korea, in October 2018. Former Secretary Pompeo is the person who coordinated the North Korea-U.S. summit by visiting Pyongyang several times, including visiting North Korea again after a top-secret visit to North Korea as a special envoy.
yunhap news
“(Chairman Kim Jong-un) opened his mouth as ‘Mr. Director’ and said, ‘I didn’t expect you to appear. I know you tried to kill me.’”
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a top-secret visit to North Korea in March 2018 when he was director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Introduced an anecdote.
Fox News said on the 17th (local time) that Pompeo’s memoir, “Never Give an Inch, Fighting for the America I Love,” will be published on the 24th. told
According to reports, former Secretary Pompeo went to North Korea as a special envoy for then-President Donald Trump. “The destination was Pyongyang, North Korea. I went to one of the darkest places on Earth to meet Chairman Kim,” he added.
“The mission was a complete secret, known to very few. My goal was to rectify past failed efforts that failed to eliminate North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and, in effect, led to the current heightened threat.” On June 12 of the same year, former President Trump and Chairman Kim held the first North Korea-US summit in Singapore.
Former Secretary Pompeo described his first meeting with Chairman Kim as “this small, sweaty, sinister man tried to change the awkward atmosphere with all his charms, but he was at the level of a murderer.” He said, “My team and I were prepared for this moment (the moment we started talking to Kim Jong-un), but the joke about the assassination was not on the list of things he could say when he greeted me.”
“I decided to respond with humor. So I replied, ‘Chairman, I’m still trying to kill you. He seemed convinced I was joking.”
Correspondent Gyeongju Lee in Washington