CIA director makes unannounced visit to South Korea
Intelligence chief meets with high-level officials in presidential office, Asian country's media reports
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
The director of the CIA has made an unannounced visit to South Korea as tensions in the region ratcheted up.
The visit comes after North Korea conducted another missile test on Saturday that appeared to fail shortly after launch — the third botched attempt this month. Despite the North's tests seeming unsuccessful, they have provoked hostilities with its Asian neighbours and the US.
Mike Pompeo and his wife were in the South Korean capital on Monday, an embassy official said, although they refused to say how long the visit lasted.
The CIA chief arrived in the country over the weekend for meetings with the head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service and high-level officials in the presidential office, according to South Korean media reports.
North Korea suggested on Monday it would continue its nuclear weapons tests, saying it would build-up its nuclear forces "to the maximum" in a "consecutive and successive way at any moment".
Meanwhile, in a show of its military power, the US sent the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to waters off the Korean Peninsula to take part in drills with the South's naval forces.
Japan's navy dispatched its largest war ship reportedly tasked with escorting US military ships off the Japanese coast.
The helicopter carrier Izumo departed the Yokosuka port near Tokyo earlier on Monday.
Japanese media reports said it will meet up with and escort a US supply ship, a first-time mission under new security legislation that allows Japan's military a greater role overseas.
They said the US ship is expected to refuel other American warships, including the USS Carl Vinson.
Japan's Defence Ministry said only that the Izumo would participate in an international naval event in Singapore on May 15.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would "not be happy" if North Korea carried out another missile test, adding that his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping would likely feel the same.
He refused to say whether this meant military action, saying: "I don't know, I mean, we'll see." He added: “We shouldn't be announcing all our moves. It is a chess game. I just don't want people to know what my thinking is.”
Associated Press contributed to this report
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments