WASHINGTON: The US President, Donald Trump, on Thursday called off a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for next month, citing Pyongyang’s "open hostility," and warned that the US military was ready in the event of any reckless acts by North Korea.
Earlier on Thursday, North Korea had repeated its threat to pull out of the summit, which was intended to address concerns about its nuclear weapons program, and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary.
Trump’s announcement -- which prompted South Korea’s president to convene crisis talks of his top security advisors -- came one day after Pyongyang hardened its rhetoric by attacking Vice President Mike Pence as "ignorant and stupid."
In a statement at the White House, Trump said he was still open to dialogue but had spoken to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and warned North Korea against any "reckless act. " He said the US military was the most powerful in the world and was ready if necessary.
Trump said South Korea and Japan also were ready to shoulder much of the financial burden "if an unfortunate situation is forced upon us" by North Korea. "While many things can happen and a great opportunity lies ahead potentially, I believe that this is a tremendous setback for North Korea and indeed a setback for the world,” Trump said.
Asked if cancellation of the summit increased the risk of war, he replied: "Well see what happens.” Trump said the United States would continue its "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. “North Korea has opportunity to end decades of poverty and oppression by following the path of denuclearization and joining the community of nations," Trump said.
Hand-picked US aides travelled to Singapore this week where they were expected to meet their North Korean counterparts and iron out details of the meeting. But as the date drew nearer, the gulf in expectations between the two sides had been made clear.
Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of the North. But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.
Trump cancelled the summit a few hours after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its main nuclear test site, which Pyongyang said was proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to keep talking despite the summit cancellation, as did host Singapore.
Despite Trump’s cancellation, South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged Trump and Kim to talk directly to each other. "Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace are historic tasks that can neither be abandoned nor delayed," South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted Moon as telling an emergency meeting with his top security officials.
