U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States is making the progress it needs with regards to North Korea's denuclearization.
His remarks come as critics say negotiations are failing.
Lee Seung-jae tells us more.
In an interview with Fox News,... U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States has "made steady albeit slow progress" in regards to North Korea's denuclearization.
Pompeo added that despite the slow progress,... the U.S. has "always known" it was going to take some time.
The top U.S. diplomat reaffirmed continued talks between Pyeongyang and Washington,... saying the personal relationship between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Trump is "good".
He went on to say that the two talk "with some frequency," despite the lack of reports.
Pompeo also pointed to the outcome of this week's third meeting between the leaders of South and North Korea,... saying it was a "successful engagement" that led to the North's promise to dismantle a missile testing site in front of international inspectors.
Earlier,... Pompeo issued a statement that welcomed the commitments made by Kim,... adding the U.S. is willing to "immediately" engage in talks with North Korea through a proposed meeting in Vienna,... as well as a proposed meeting between himself and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week.
Meanwhile, citing Pompeo's remarks to start negotiations again,... UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed hope on Thursday that a complete, verifiable denuclearization of North Korea will be the end result.

"Now I've taken note of the fact that Secretary of State Pompeo is ready to start again, negotiations, and I'm hopeful,..(cut)... I hope that it will produce the result we all want, which I repeat, is full and verifiable denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Korean peninsula in the context of regional security."

This comes as the UN Secretary General warned that negotiations between the two Koreas won't be successful unless there's simultaneous success in U.S.-North Korean negotiations to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.