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JUDY WOODRUFF: But first: 
The U.S. secretary of state 
visited North Korea yesterday to

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continue negotiations 
with a regime there over 
its nuclear program.

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It is a process that has 
seen its ups and its downs.

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And, as John Yang reports, 
this visit produced 
some guarded optimism.

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JOHN YANG: It was all smiles 
around the table for a Sunday 
lunch in Pyongyang, where North

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Korea's nuclear arsenal 
was the main menu item.

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Later, Secretary of State Mike 
Pompeo reported significant 
progress in his talks with North

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Korean supreme 
leader Kim Jong-un.

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MIKE POMPEO, U.S. Secretary 
of State: We had a good, 
productive conversation.

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As President Trump has said, 
there are many steps along the 
way, and we took one of them

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today.

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JOHN YANG: The North's 
state-run television 
echoed that positive tone.

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The two sides agreed to 
establish working-level 
talks on a second 
summit between President

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Trump and Kim.

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Pompeo also told reporters 
that the North agreed to allow 
inspectors at a nuclear test

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site the North says it 
demolished last spring.

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The administration has 
expressed doubts that the site 
had actually been destroyed.

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Siegfried Hecker is former 
director of the Los Alamos 
National Laboratory.

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He's visited North 
Korea several times.

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SIEGFRIED HECKER, Former 
Director, Los Alamos 
National Laboratory: 
There had been so much

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skepticism about whether what 
the North Koreans did actually 
would make a difference or not,

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whether it would make it 
easy for them to test.

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So it's a big deal to actually 
let someone come in and to 
evaluate whether that really

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sets back the test 
site significantly.

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It's an important 
confidence-building measure, 
as far as I'm concerned.

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JOHN YANG: President 
Trump's confidence is 
already running high.

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He recently expressed a fondness 
for the North Korean leader he 
once derided as Little Rocket

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Man.

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DONALD TRUMP, President 
of the United States: 
We fell in love now.

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OK?

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(LAUGHTER)

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DONALD TRUMP: No, really.

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He wrote me beautiful letters.

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JOHN YANG: The president's top 
advisers have remained more 
skeptical of shifting from talk

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in 2017 of fire and 
fury to falling in love.

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Instead, they insist 
U.S. sanctions will 
stay in place until the 
North's nukes are gone.

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China's support is also 
critical for any North 
Korean nuclear disarmament.

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But maintaining Beijing's 
support is complicated 
by a growing trade war 
and other deep tensions.

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That was clear today as 
Pompeo met with Chinese 
Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

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WANG YI, Chinese Foreign 
Minister (through translator): 
We urge the United States to

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stop these kinds of 
mistaken actions.

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We believe China and the 
U.S. should stick to the 
correct path of cooperation.

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MIKE POMPEO: I regret that the 
strategic dialogue between our 
two countries was something that

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you all chose not to undertake.

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JOHN YANG: China's role aside, 
there's no framework yet for 
dismantling North Korea's

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nuclear arsenal.

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But Siegfried Hecker notes 
that Pyongyang has put aside 
further nuclear testing.

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SIEGFRIED HECKER: No testing 
means they will not be able 
to improve the sophistication

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of their nuclear weapons.

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And particularly what I would be 
worried about it is making the 
weapons smaller or to continue

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to develop the hydrogen 
thermonuclear bomb capabilities.

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JOHN YANG: The next steps are 
unclear, including the possible 
timing of that second summit

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between the two leaders.

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For the "PBS NewsHour," 
I'm John Yang.