As Pompeo heads to North Korea, U.S. State Department denies softening

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives to board his plane to travel to Anchorage, Alaska on his way to Pyongyang, North Korea in Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, U.S. July 5, 2018. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department on Thursday denied that the United States had softened its approach toward North Korea's denuclearization, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to Pyongyang hoping to hammer out a roadmap for its nuclear disarmament.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. Our policy toward North Korea has not changed," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters on the way to Pyongyang.