CIA Director and U.S. Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo has reportedly assessed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “smart” person.  

Reuters on Thursday quoted a U.S. official as saying that Pompeo said Kim is “a smart guy who’s doing his homework” for the summit meetings with the South Korean and the U.S. leaders. 

It's the first time Pompeo’s personal view on Kim has been revealed since he returned from his secret visit to Pyongyang early this month, when he met with the reclusive leader as an envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Reuters said that ahead of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit, U.S. government officials are gathering “every new bit of information” about Kim to give President Trump “a competitive edge,” but pointed out how it's a “huge challenge” given the lack of knowledge about the North Korean leader.

It's known that Washington is focusing on learning about Kim’s personality, leadership style and political views ahead of the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit that will be held as early as next month.