U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed confidence that North Korea understands the scope of Washington’s request for complete denuclearization.

According to Reuters, the top diplomat told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that Washington has been pretty unambiguous in its conversations about what it means when it says complete denuclearization. 

Pompeo said that he would be leading the ongoing talks with Pyongyang, but declined to discuss details.

On North Korea's promise to return the remains of American service members killed in the Korean War, Pompeo clarified that the U.S. has yet to receive them but added that he is "optimistic" that the U.S. will receive the remains "in the not-too-distant future."

[Photo : KBS News]