Trump, Moon talk N Korea’s threat

SEOUL – Agence France-Presse

U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on May 20 discussed North Korea’s recent threats to cancel its unprecedented summit with Washington, Seoul’s presidential office said.

After weeks of warm words and diplomatic backslapping, Pyongyang abruptly threatened to pull out of the planned summit next month because of U.S. demands for “unilateral nuclear abandonment”, according to the North’s official KCNA news agency.

North Korea also cancelled at the last minute a high-level meeting with the South, protesting joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.

In a phone conversation yesterday, Trump and Moon “exchanged views on various actions taken by North Korea recently,” Moon’s office said.

The two leaders agreed to “work closely” for the success of the landmark summit in Singapore on June 12, which would be the first meeting between a sitting U.S. President and a North Korean leader.

They are due to meet in Washington on May 22. North Korea’s sudden shift in attitude followed a weeks-long charm offensive that has seen leader Kim Jong Un hold a summit with Moon and meet twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping.