Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to North Korea with a CD recording of the Elton John song “Rocket Man” as a gift to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean media outlet The Chosun Ilbo reported Friday.

 

"The 'Rocket Man' CD was the subject of discussion during Trump's lunch with Kim. Kim mentioned that Trump referred to him as 'rocket man' when tensions ran high last year," a source told the South Korean news outlet. 

 

“Trump then asked Kim if he knew the song and Kim said no." 

 

President Trump has repeatedly used the “rocket man” moniker to refer to Kim. 

 

The South Korean newspaper said the president signed the CD and directed the secretary of state to gift it to Kim. 

 

NBC News reported Friday that Pompeo did not confirm to reporters whether or not he brought the CD when questioned upon arriving in North Korea.

 

The reported gift comes as Pompeo prepares for additional discussions regarding North Korea’s nuclear program.

 

Trump and Kim last month signed a joint statement that said the U.S. would give unspecified “security guarantees” to North Korea, while Kim said he is committed to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

 

The statement, however, lacked details about how North Korea would dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

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