Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gives a speech at the London Lecture series at Kansas State University Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, in Manhattan, Kan. AP-Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged Friday that North Korea has the right to defend itself and assured Pyongyang of Washington's security guarantees should the regime dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

In an interview with KCMO radio in Kansas City, Missouri, Pompeo said the U.S. was committed to continuing denuclearization negotiations with North Korea and hopes the regime will return to the table as agreed during a June meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"I'm very committed to working with the North Korean team to negotiate a set of outcomes that will be good for both the United States and the world in terms of reducing the nuclear threat that emanates from the Korean Peninsula, but also ensuring that security and peace and prosperity can come to North Korea as well," the top U.S. diplomat said.

Asked to assess North Korea's commitment to the talks, given its series of short-range ballistic missile launches since late July, Pompeo was still hopeful.