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US President Trump shakes hands with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and gives him a thumbs-up at Pompeo’s swearing-in ceremony on May 2 in Washington

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is directing the US’s preparations for an upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, described the situation on May 2 as an “unprecedented opportunity to change the course of history on the Korean Peninsula.”

The same day, North Korea was reportedly observed beginning steps toward the closure of its nuclear test site.

“I underscore the word ‘opportunity’; we are in the beginning stages of the work and the outcome is certainly yet unknown,” Pompeo said at a swearing-in ceremony that day at the State Department in Washington, DC.

“One thing is certain: this administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past. Our eyes are wide open,” he continued.

Pompeo went on to declare, “It’s time to solve this [North Korean nuclear issue] once and for all. A bad deal is not an option.”

“We are committed to the permanent, verifiable, irreversible dismantling of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program, and to do so without delay,” he stressed.

Attending the ceremony that day, Trump called Pompeo “an exceptional guy, a great friend, and somebody that truly loves our country.”

“We are really, really proud of you,” he added.

During the ceremony, Pompeo declared the US “committed to the permanent, verifiable, irreversible dismantling of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program, and to do so without delay.”

His remarks echoed the CVID (complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantling) principle consistently voiced by Pompeo and the US administration to date on the North Korean nuclear issue, with the word “permanent” substituted for “complete.” As a result, some speculated the remarks may indicate a more intensified principle from the US on the issue’s resolution.

But when asked in a regular briefing how he assessed the “PVID” concept as Pompeo used it, South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Noh Kyu-duk said, “While there may be a difference in wording between ‘CVID’ and ‘PVID,’ I don’t think there’s a difference in meaning.”

“Regardless of the terminology, South Korea and the US share the firm goal of completely resolving the North Korean nuclear issue,” he added.

“It isn’t clear whether ‘PVID’ is taking the place of ‘CVID’ or at what level Secretary Pompeo is using the term ‘PVID,’” he continued.

Noh added that there had been no prior consultation on the term between Washington and Seoul, suggesting its significance should not be overstated.