Why The Spies Have A Leading Role In The North Korea Summit
The CIA is often involved behind the scenes in the run-up to a presidential summit. But U.S. and Korean spy chiefs are playing an unusually prominent role this time around.
When Mike Pompeo became CIA director last year, he immediately set his sights on North Korea and its opaque nuclear program.
"Within weeks of me coming here, I created a Korea Mission Center, stood it up with a senior leader who had just retired, brought him back to run the organization," Pompeo said in January.
He didn't name that senior leader, but was referring to Andrew Kim, a Korean-American who grew up in South Korea.
President Trump was clearly impressed with Pompeo's initiative on North Korea, and sent him there — — on a secret trip
