U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday North Korea will receive relief only after it takes clear and irreversible steps to end its nuclear program, adding it would be a "bumpy road" to a summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders.
The comments sought to address concern the United States may be rushing to strike a breakthrough in the unprecedented summit between the two leaders after U.S. President Donald Trump put the meeting back on track for June 12 in Singapore.
"We can anticipate, at best, a bumpy road to the (negotiations)," Mattis said before the start of a meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on the sidelines of Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore.