North Korea threatens to CANCEL nuclear summit with Trump because it believes ‘provocative military ruckus’ of joint U.S.-South Korea drills are rehearsal for invasion
June 12 Singapore summit between Trump and Kim is suddenly in jeopardy
North Korean government blames joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises
Pyongyang sees the drills as a rehearsal for a full-scale invasion
Kim also canceled meeting with South Korea’s president on a few hours’ notice
By DAVID MARTOSKO
DAILYMAIL.COM
15 May 2018
North Korea’s government says it is considering calling off a planned nuclear summit between dictator Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim’s regime said through state-run news agency KCNA that ongoing ‘Max Thunder’ joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea are actually a ‘rehearsal for invasion’ of the North.
‘The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities,’ KCNA said.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement: ‘We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.’
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Pyongyang also canceled high-level talks with Seoul, scheduled for later in the day.
The North Koreans cited the military drills as the reason.
The meeting was to happen in the border town of Panmunjom, as a followup to Kim’s April meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-In.
The Trump administration has appeared to be making progress in recent weeks toward a new diplomatic framework with the hermit kingdom.
Tempers had cooled following months of belligerence on both sides – Trump called Kim ‘Little Rocket Man’ and Kim responded by branding him a ‘mentally deranged U.S. dotard.’
Last week Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang on a mission to retrieve three Americans held prisoner in the communist nation.
He returned a day later with Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim on board his government jet. Trump, eager to reap the PR benefit of a public splash, went to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 2:00 in the morning to greet them personally.
The prisoner release was seen as a first step toward the planned summit, which Trump announced last week would take place June 12 in Singapore.
The North Korean statement got a jump on the U.S State Department
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