Pompeo tells Seoul nuclear progress must not lag better Korea ties

FILE PHOTO - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has told its ally South Korea it should not improve ties with North Korea faster than Pyongyang takes steps to give up its nuclear weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.

Speaking as a working group with South Korea to coordinate North Korean policy held an inaugural meeting in Washington, Pompeo indicated that Washington had been concerned that Seoul had moved too quickly with Pyongyang.