‘N. Korea summit could still happen’
WAShiNGtON: One day after abruptly pulling the plug on a highstakes summit with North Korea, US President Donald Trump said the meeting with Kim Jongun could go ahead after all – and would “likely” happen on the originally scheduled date of June 12.
The summit would be an unprecedented meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, which Washington hopes will result in the full denuclearisation of the reclusive state.
Trump said in a tweet that “very productive talks” were ongoing with North Korea about reinstating the summit.
“If it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same
date, June 12th,” he wrote, adding that the meeting could be extended further if necessary.
On Thursday, Trump cancelled the summit that was due to take place in Singapore, blaming “tremendous anger and open hostility” from Pyongyang in recent days.
But North Korea responded on Friday by saying it was willing to talk to the United States “at any time” – a reaction Trump welcomed as “warm and productive”.
“We’re talking to them now,” Trump said of the North Koreans.
“They very much want to do it. We’d like to do it.”
Yesterday, South Korea, which had brokered the remarkable detente between Washington and Pyongyang, cautiously welcomed Trump’s latest comments.
“We find it fortunate that the embers of the North KoreaUS talks are reignited.
“We are watching developments carefully,” Presidential Blue House spokesman Kim Euigyeom said yesterday.
Trump’s initial cancellation of the summit blindsided treaty ally Seoul, with President Moon Jaein calling the move “shocking and very regrettable”.
State Department spokesman Heather Nauert cast the fastmoving developments as simply “twists and turns” in the process.
“We never expected it to be easy,” Nauert told reporters.