Pompeo Kept in Dark About N.Korea Itinerary

      July 10, 2018 11:29

      U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was given the details of his schedule only a few hours ahead of his arrival in Pyongyang over the weekend.

      When he arrived on Friday morning, Pompeo "had few details of his schedule in the North Korean capital -- even which hotel he and his staff would stay in," Bloomberg News reported. "Not much was clear aside from lunch with counterpart Kim Yong-chol."

      U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang on Saturday. /AFP-Yonhap

      "In the end, Pompeo stayed at neither of the hotels where he thought he'd be," it added. "The North Koreans took him, his staff and the six journalists traveling with the delegation to a gated guesthouse on the outskirts of the capital."

      "It was the start of a confused visit of less than 30 hours."

      Pompeo's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un never happened "despite strenuous efforts from his staff," the website added.

      Over dinner on the first day at the guesthouse, "waiters brought plate after plate of food -- foie gras, turkey, pea soup, boiled oak mushrooms, kimchi, watermelon and ice cream, plus a drink branded 'American Cola.'"

      Plenty of fruit was provided in the rooms despite the fact that the North suffers a severe food shortage and many ordinary people live on the brink of starvation, according to the Bloomberg reporter.

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