North Korea has responded to President Trump's letter to Kim Jong Un in which the U.S. president alerted him that he had canceled the summit between the two nations. The meeting was scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, but following some aggressive rhetoric and more nuclear threats from North Korea, Trump nixed it.
In a new statement, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan told the U.S. they are still willing to talk “at any time, at any format.” More from the Associated Press:
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan issued a statement Friday saying North Korea is “willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities” to reconsider talks.
Kim says North Korea’s “objective and resolve to do our best for the sake of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and all humankind remain unchanged.”
Kim is calling Trump’s decision “unexpected” and “very regrettable,” and says the cancellation of the talks shows “how grave the status of historically deep-rooted hostile North Korea-U.S. relations is and how urgently a summit should be realized to improve ties.”
Trump had high hopes for the summit, particularly after Kim Jong Un signaled he would pursue a path to denuclearization and released three American prisoners. North Korea started reverting back to their aggressive ways, however, and Trump hosted South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House this week to chat about saving the summit. It appears North Korea's nasty insults for Vice President Mike Pence and a renewed threat of nuclear war Wednesday may have sealed the deal. Katie has a detailed summary of what happened.
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As for Moon Jae-in, he admitted to being "perplexed" by the cancellation.
"Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace are historic tasks that can neither be abandoned nor delayed.”
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