North Korea threatens to withdraw from summit with Trump

[Bengalzona]

https://abcnews.go.com/International/north-korea-threatens-withdraw-summit-trump-report/story?id=55184033

Quote:North Korea is threatening to cancel its upcoming summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump over South Korea-U.S.military drills.

North Korea has also canceled high-level talks with South Korea that were scheduled for Wednesday local time over those same drills.

"If the U.S. and the South Korean government thinks that the improvement of North-South relationship and the U.S. talk made possible by our leading and generous efforts and actions as a pardon to open play-with-fire fuss like this war drill anytime, there is no greater misjudgment than that," North Korean state media agency KCNA said in a dispatch.

"We have no choice but to stop the North-South high-level talk scheduled for the 16th under the ugly circumstances where there is indiscreet North-invading war fuss and fight rampage," KCNA said. "... The U.S. must contemplate on the fate of the scheduled Korea-U.S. head meeting with the provocative military situation created with the South Korean government.

"We will keep sharp eyes on the U.S. and the South Korean government's future attitude."

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The summit between the American and North Korean leader was first announced in March and Trump tweeted the scheduled date -- June 12 -- and location -- Singapore -- last week.

Three Americans that were held in North Korea for more than a year each were released last week, in what was seen by many as a gesture of goodwill before the scheduled summit.

The U.S. has not heard from North Korea and is still planning for the summit to go ahead, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

"What we have to go on is what Kim Jong Un has said before, that he understands and appreciates the importance to the United States of having these joint exercises, the Republic of Korea has as well," Nauert said. "We've received no formal or even informal notification of anything."

As the U.S. has done on multiple previous occasions, Nauert defended the exercises as "legal," "planned well, well in advance" and "not provocative."

Col. Rob Manning, a Department of Defense spokesperson, said in a statement the exercises are "part of the ROK-U.S. Alliances’ routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness."

"The purpose of the training is to enhance the ROK-U.S. alliance’s ability to defend the ROK and enhance interoperability and readiness. While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," Manning said.

Separately, a senior State Department official told reporters the U.S. and South Korea were in touch "a short while ago," but referred questions on that to South Korea. That official confirmed that there's been no contact from North Korea.

In a statement, the White House said: “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.”

ABC News' Nataly Pak, Luis Martinez and Meghan Keneally contributed to this report.

Any thoughts?

[Bengalzona]

Correction.

It is now being reported by the BBC that North Korea has actually cancelled the summit:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44133308?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_source=facebook&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_mchannel=social

[*bfine32*]

(05-15-2018, 09:38 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Correction.

It is now being reported by the BBC that North Korea has actually cancelled the summit:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44133308?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_source=facebook&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_mchannel=social

Seems your correction says the same thing you linked in the OP.

As to my thoughts:

I hope word of this gets to other folks in power in NK. SK and USA seems to be extending an olive branch and NK is being petty. Of course if the parties had agreed that the cancellation of these maneuvers were part of the agreement to talk then NK is totally correct.  

[*michaelsean*]

Shouldn’t have talks with that clown in the first place and now he gets to be the one who cancels it.

[Dill]

(05-15-2018, 09:38 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Correction.

It is now being reported by the BBC that North Korea has actually cancelled the summit:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44133308?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_source=facebook&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_mchannel=social

Actually, it is only a summit between the two Koreas which has been cancelled.  Nothing about the Singapore summit.


Donald is still on track!

[Bengalzona]

(05-15-2018, 09:45 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Seems your correction says the same thing you linked in the OP.

(05-15-2018, 10:17 PM)Dill Wrote: Actually, it is only a summit between the two Koreas which has been cancelled.  Nothing about the Singapore summit.


Donald is still on track!

Ah!

My correction needs to be corrected!

The South Korean talks were cancelled. The U.S./N.K. talks are on.

Doggone misleading headlines!!!

[Dill]

(05-15-2018, 09:59 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Shouldn’t have talks with that clown in the first place and now he gets to be the one who cancels it.

This is why Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy and Eisenhower refused to meet with the erratic Kims.  It would be unseemly and insulting for an American president to get jerked around the way diplomats like consular representatives often are, though they are out of sight.

Kim has not cancelled the US talks--yet.  But he has put himself in position to milk some concessions, if Trump wants the Nobel bad enough.

Also, busting the Iran Deal may put more pressure on Trump/Bolton/Pompeo to get something from NK, while it puts NK in a stronger negotiating position.  China too, for that matter, since the US hopes they will restore sanctions, against their own economic interest.

[Dill]

(05-15-2018, 10:22 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Ah!

My correction needs to be corrected!

The South Korean talks were cancelled. The U.S./N.K. talks are on.

Doggone misleading headlines!!!

Well, we are still a month away from the summit, preparing for it with a hollowed out state department.

So you might want to save your correction.

If past is prologue, we should see some more ups and downs before any final cancellation.  Any more hostages to release?

In my view, busting the Iran Deal has shifted the ground under the NK negotiations, and not in favor of the US.
But I am not sure this cancellation is a sign of that yet. The anger over such a massive military exercise is understandable. Imagine if North Korea staged an exercise with battle ships and 70 fighter jets 12 miles off the coast of California.

[StLucieBengal]

Meh. Sounds petty. Rocketman will be rocketman

[NATI BENGALS]

They screwed their backyard nuke experiment up. Their top guys probably got radiation poisoning and their lab is contaminated so they softened up and wanted to talk.

Dont give the fat boy shit other than poisonous cheese

[Bengalzona]

(05-15-2018, 10:31 PM)Dill Wrote: Well, we are still a month away from the summit, preparing for it with a hollowed out state department.

So you might want to save your correction.

If past is prologue, we should see some more ups and downs before any final cancellation.  Any more hostages to release?

In my view, busting the Iran Deal has shifted the ground under the NK negotiations, and not in favor of the US.
But I am not sure this cancellation is a sign of that yet. The anger over such a massive military exercise is understandable. Imagine if North Korea staged an exercise with battle ships and 70 fighter jets 12 miles off the coast of California.

Yes. North Korea is famous for dangling carrots, then backing away. This has bedeviled many administrations in the past.

I agree about the the Iran Deal influencing things here. After all, it is believed Iran bought much of their equipment for their centrifuge operations from North Korea. While I'm sure they are not BFF's, they do have a relationship and (sometimes?) a common enemy. But more than that, we had more clout on non-proliferation negotiations when Iran was locked into a deal and not... er... proliferating.

Trump's timing on breaking the Iran deal is just bizarre to me. Why not wait to do that until after a deal with North Korea is reached (if one is). My only thought is that it is linked to Israel and growing Iranian influence in Syria, with the turn in that civil war against the opposition.

But I believe that this administration will bend over (perhaps literally) to get a deal down with North Korea. I believe Trump wants and needs a big foreign policy trophy to take home and show the voters for the upcoming elections. Outside of passing the tax cut bill (which many question anyway), what else has the admin and Congress done?

[Bengalzona]

(05-15-2018, 11:31 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: Meh.  Sounds petty.  Rocketman will be rocketman

They have done these types of things to several administrations in the past. It is what has made nailing them down so difficult.

[StLucieBengal]

(05-15-2018, 11:41 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Yes. North Korea is famous for dangling carrots, then backing away. This has bedeviled many administrations in the past.

I agree about the the Iran Deal influencing things here. After all, it is believed Iran bought much of their equipment for their centrifuge operations from North Korea. While I'm sure they are not BFF's, they do have a relationship and (sometimes?) a common enemy. But more than that, we had more clout on non-proliferation negotiations when Iran was locked into a deal and not... er... proliferating.

Trump's timing on breaking the Iran deal is just bizarre to me. Why not wait to do that until after a deal with North Korea is reached (if one is). My only thought is that it is linked to Israel and growing Iranian influence in Syria, with the turn in that civil war against the opposition.

But I believe that this administration will bend over (perhaps literally) to get a deal down with North Korea. I believe Trump wants and needs a big foreign policy trophy to take home and show the voters for the upcoming elections. Outside of passing the tax cut bill (which many question anyway), what else has the admin and Congress done?

Regulatory cuts is pretty massive. Unleashing ICE is very popular. Rolling back the obama years is also pretty cool. All that’s left is tearing up Michelle’s organic garden lol.

[StLucieBengal]

(05-15-2018, 11:44 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: They have done these types of things to several administrations in the past. It is what has made nailing them down so difficult.

We will see. Who knows what will happen, I hope for peace, but it won’t surprise me if rocketman backs out. I would just rather Be hopeful for peace, it’s an exciting time if we get there.

[NATI BENGALS]

(05-15-2018, 11:48 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: We will see.  Who knows what will happen, I hope for peace, but it won’t surprise me if rocketman backs out.  I would just rather Be hopeful for peace, it’s an exciting time if we get there.

Haha... Hope for peace? They have been standing there looking at each other on that border for awhile. Trying to remember the last time NK and SK exchanged missile fire or 50+ were killed on the border? Meanwhile in other parts of the world. Violence has been a direct result of white house decisions. 

The orange bullshit is so god damn deep its almost up to my neck.

[StLucieBengal]

(05-16-2018, 12:06 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Haha... Hope for peace? They have been standing there looking at each other on that border for awhile. Trying to remember the last time NK and SK exchanged missile fire or 50+ were killed on the border? Meanwhile in other parts of the world. Violence has been a direct result of white house decisions. 

The orange bullshit is so god damn deep its almost up to my neck.

Your right. We need to march troops into Mexico to force them to stop the Central American invasion.

[hollodero]

(05-16-2018, 12:08 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: Your right.  We need to march troops into Mexico to force them to stop the Central American invasion.

War with Mexico? There goes the nobel prize, then.

[Bengalzona]

(05-15-2018, 11:46 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: Regulatory cuts is pretty massive.  Unleashing ICE is very popular.  Rolling back the obama years is also pretty cool.  All that’s left is tearing up Michelle’s organic garden lol.

Popular with conservatives. But conservatives are a minority.

[Bengalzona]

(05-15-2018, 11:48 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: We will see.  Who knows what will happen, I hope for peace, but it won’t surprise me if rocketman backs out.  I would just rather Be hopeful for peace, it’s an exciting time if we get there.

Hopeful for peace in Korea where there is no actual fighting, but less hopeful in the Levant where people are being killed?

[Belsnickel]

What Kim has been doing is nothing different than what has happened before. Right now, he is setting the stage to pigeonhole Trump in a way where they will meet, he gets a photo op which equals respect as a world leader in his mind, and he will make unreasonable claims. They'll walk away from the summit and Kim will announce some new nuclear project.

The only real thing that is new has been the razing of the nuclear test site and all of that. However, this is a site that was (IIRC) reported to be suffering from cave ins from instability as a result of the testing done there. So they may have determined the site was unsafe to continue testing in and already had plans to move to a different location.

Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I don't expect anything to come of this.