North Korea demands removal of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from talks

A senior foreign ministry official said that further talks would be "lousy" if Mr Pompeo was involved, asking that he be replaced by someone "more careful".

It comes after North Korea said it had tested a new "tactical guided weapon".

The test is the first since a February summit in Hanoi between the countries' leaders ended without an agreement.

Mr Pompeo visited North Korea four times last year - including for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Why is Pompeo so controversial?

Last week, during a US Senate subcommittee hearing, Mr Pompeo was asked if he would agree with descriptions of Mr Kim as a "tyrant", he then responded: "Sure, I'm sure I've said that."

This was met with a strong reaction from North Korean foreign ministry official Kwon Jong-gun, who said that Mr Pompeo "spouted reckless remarks, hurting the dignity of our supreme leadership… to unveil his mean character".

Mr Kwon also blamed Mr Pompeo for the abrupt ending to the Hanoi summit.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47971164