Here's What Pompeo Had to Say About Kim Jong Un

Mike Pompeo didn't have much to add when asked about Kim Jong Un Wednesday, but he did say the US is monitoring the situation. Asked by Fox News to comment on reports that the North Korean leader is gravely ill or dead, the secretary of state said, per the BBC and the New York Post, "We haven't seen him. We don't have any information to report today, we're watching it closely." Kim hasn't been seen in public in weeks amid conflicting reports as to whether he's in critical condition, simply recovering from surgery, or perhaps being kept isolated to protect him from the coronavirus. Pompeo's comments came as it was reported that satellite images appear to indicate Kim could be holed up at a luxury coastal resort.

"I don’t have anything to add to the status of Chairman Kim," Pompeo told reporters Wednesday. He added, "We did have the opportunity to interact with a number of North Korean officials," including Kim’s sister (thought to be the most likely successor, at least transitionally, should the reports of Kim's death turn out to be true) and "others." He continued, "Our mission remains the same regardless of leadership." That mission is "full denuclearization" on the Korean peninsula, and "there’s a lot of work to do on it. We’re going to continue to focus on it." (Top South Korean officials said this week that their government knows where Kim is.)