US will not lift sanctions on North Korea until 'complete denuclearisation'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a conference in Seoul with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on Thursday that the US would not lift economic sanctions on North Korea until the "complete denuclearisation" of the country.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signed an agreement on Tuesday at their meeting stating that North Korea would move towards denuclearisation. Trump in turn promised to remove economic sanctions on the country if Kim followed through with his promises.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clarified on Thursday that these sanctions would only be lifted when the country is completely free of nuclear weapons and would not reward gradual progress, dismissing a report by North Korean state media.

During his visit, Pompeo was also expected to brief America's regional allies on the the details of the summit and Trump’s decision to end the US-South Korea military drills. Nevertheless, he assured South Korean and Japanese officials that their relationship with the US remained "ironclad".

Another aspect of the summit that was also attracting attention was Trump's decision not to attack Kim's human rights record when they met.

In an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News, the President declined to condemn Kim Jong-Un's crimes against humanity including the assassination of political rivals, public executions and holding political prisoners captive.

Indeed, Trump said Kim was "a tough guy", also lauding his intelligence and describing him as a good negotiator.

"A lot of people have done some really bad things. I could go through a lot of nations where a lot of bad things were done".