US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to visit North Korea on Sunday

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will pay a fresh visit to North Korea on Sunday and meet leader Kim Jong Un as the administration's hopes rise of a denuclearisation deal. State Department said, the rare advance announcement of a meeting with the young strongman came hours after North Korea raised the stakes in negotiations, saying it will not give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for a peace treaty.

Pompeo, who is trying



to arrange a second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump, will also head to US allies Japan and South Korea, as well as North Korea's chief ally China with which the United States is engaged in escalating trade and diplomatic disputes.

It will be the fourth trip by Pompeo to longtime US pariah North Korea as the Trump administration looks to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.