Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he has a team on the ground in Pyongyang, North Korea, to lay the foundation for a two-day summit planned between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this month, and he is optimistic North Korea will eventually denuclearize.

"It's a real opportunity for the world," Pompeo told Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria" anchor Maria Bartiromo. "We are very hopeful that chairman Kim will fulfill his commitment, the one he made back in June in Singapore to denuclearize his country, it's in the best interest of the North Korean people, in the best interest to keep Americans safe as well. That's what we'll seek to advance when we travel to Vietnam."

Pompeo further said he believes North Korea is willing to come to an agreement to denuclearize, despite the stalemate that has been going on for decades.

"Chairman Kim has told his own people they need to turn the course, they need to advance their economic conditions inside of their country," Pompeo said. "Those are his words, not mine. I think there's every opportunity that Chairman Kim will move on to fulfill the commitments he made."

The summit is planned for Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam. The president has said his outreach to Kim, as well as a first meeting last June in Singapore, have opened the path to peace between the United States and North Korea.

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