Trump asks Pompeo to delay visit to North Korea

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump says he's directed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay a trip to North Korea, citing insufficient progress on denuclearization.

He tweets that he does not believe China is helping with the effort to rein in North Korea because of stepped-up pressure by the U.S. on trade with China

Pompeo on Thursday appointed a senior executive with the Ford Motor Co. to be his special envoy for North Korea and said the two would visit next week.

Trump says he's asked Pompeo ``not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.''

Some independent assessments suggest that North Korea has actually been increasing its nuclear activity.