WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday he had not received a commitment from Pyongyang that three American prisoners would be released when he visits North Korea.
President Donald Trump said earlier that Pompeo was on his way to North Korea in a surprise visit.
Speaking to US reporters en route to Pyongyang, Pompeo said he would raise the issue of the three imprisoned Americans during his talks and hoped that North Korea would "do the right thing."
"We've been asking for the release of these detainees for 17 months," Pompeo said. "We'll talk about it again. It'd be a great gesture if they'd agree to do so."He said he was hoping to finalize the agenda for talks between Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.