US demands N. Korea denuclearise by January 2021

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday set January 2021 as the target for completing North Korea’s denuclearisation, giving a clearer timeline to the process agreed upon by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Pompeo also said he had invited North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho for talks in New York next week, where both are expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

“This will mark the beginning of negotiations to transform US-North Korea relations through the process of rapid denuclearization of North Korea, to be completed by January 2021, as committed by Chairman Kim,” Pompeo said in a statement.

The proposed meeting comes at a crucial stage in the US-North Korea dialogue, which has faced growing difficulties in recent weeks over how and when Pyongyang should dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

Pompeo's announcement effectively links the denuclearisation timeline to the end of Trump's current presidential term in January 2021. However, the June 2018 Singapore summit between Trump and Kim had not specified a concrete deadline for completing the process.

At their historic summit, the two leaders agreed to work towards the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, while Washington offered security assurances to Pyongyang. Despite the landmark meeting, subsequent negotiations have struggled to produce a detailed agreement on the steps, verification mechanisms and timetable required to achieve that goal.

North Korea has argued that the US must also take corresponding measures, particularly progress towards formally ending the Korean War. Although active fighting ended with the 1953 armistice, no permanent peace treaty was signed, leaving the peninsula technically in a state of war.

Pyongyang has sought a peace declaration as part of a broader reciprocal approach, saying it should receive security and political concessions in return for taking steps to dismantle its nuclear capabilities.

In a fresh diplomatic move on Wednesday, Kim offered to permanently shut down the Yongbyon nuclear complex, one of North Korea's most important nuclear facilities. The offer was made during the latest summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Kim indicated that the closure could take place if the US took corresponding measures based on commitments made during the Singapore summit.

The Yongbyon facility is considered central to North Korea's nuclear programme and has been associated with the production of plutonium and enriched uranium. Its permanent closure could therefore represent a significant step if accompanied by verification and wider dismantling measures.

The latest developments suggest that both sides are attempting to revive negotiations after weeks of diplomatic uncertainty. Washington is pushing for rapid and verifiable denuclearisation, while Pyongyang continues to seek reciprocal steps from the US.

The proposed Pompeo-Ri meeting in New York could therefore provide an opportunity to determine whether the two countries can bridge their differences and establish a concrete roadmap towards the ambitious 2021 target.