Trump says no 'Libya model' for N. Korea's denuclearization US President Donald Trump on Thursday tried to put his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un back on track, saying he would not seek to implement a so-called "Libya model" for denuclearization that would force Pyongyang to give up its arms and see Kim ousted.Pyongyang on Tuesday threatened to cancel the summit set for June 12 in Singapore, blaming US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."That was a reference to comments made by Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton, who referred to the "Libya model from 2003, 2004" as a blueprint for the denuclearization promised by North Korea.In late 2003, then Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi agreed to the elimination of his country's nuclear program and chemical weapons arsenal to gain sanctions relief.The reference was seen in Pyongyang as unfortunate at best: after giving up his atomic program, Kadhafi was killed in 2011 in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.Kim "will get protections that will be very strong," Trump told reporters."He'd be in his country and running his country." (AFP) May 18, 2018
If North Korea wants to meet, 'we'll be there': White House The United States said Thursday it was ready to proceed with next month's summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, putting the ball back in Pyongyang's court after it threatened to scrap the meeting."If the North Koreans want to meet, we'll be there," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told journalists, adding that the White House schedule had not changed."The president is prepared and will be ready to meet, and we're continuing to move forward with the preparations at this point."After weeks of warm words and diplomatic backslapping, Pyongyang on Tuesday abruptly threatened to pull out of the planned June 12 summit, blaming US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."In an angrily worded statement, the North warned "if the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue."Sanders, however, said North Korea was "not in the driver's seat. Nothing could be further from the truth.""They're the ones that extended the invitation. If they're happy to meet, we're May 18, 2018
Trump: Kim Jong-un can stay in power after abandoning nukes U.S. President Donald Trump tried to put his summit with Kim Jong Un back on track Thursday, offering the North Korean leader guarantees of staying in power if he abandons nuclear weapons.As prospects for a historic summit next month between the two leaders dimmed, Trump told reporters that if the meeting were to go ahead successfully, Kim "will get protections that will be very strong." "He'd be in his country and running his country. His country would be very rich."But the pledge came barbed with a warning that if diplomacy fails, Kim could suffer the same fate as Libya's Moamer Kadhafi, who was overthrown and killed by rebels.Trump's comments came as Pyongyang appeared to cool to the idea of the sit-down in Singapore on June 12, denouncing US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."Trump suggested Kim's apparent about-face may have been at the behest of Chinese leader Xi Jinping."It could very well be that he's influencing Kim Jong Un," Trump said, citing a recent meeting between the pair, their second in a month's time. "We'll see what happens."For decades, Washington has waMay 18, 2018
Trump: North Korea still preparing summit 'like nothing happened' North Korean officials are continuing to hold talks on next month's planned summit with the United States despite this week's threat to cancel the meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump says."We are continuing to negotiate in terms of location -- where to meet, how to meet, rooms, everything else - and they've been negotiating like nothing happened," he said Thursday at the White House.Trump said it "will be very interesting" if the June 12 meeting in Singapore is scrapped, after Pyongyang said it might cancel if the U.S. demands complete denuclearization."I can only say our people are literally dealing with them right now in terms of making arrangements for the meeting," he said. (dpa)May 18, 2018
Ban says US pullout of Iran deal bad example for NK By Kim Bo-eunBan Ki-moonFormer United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday the U.S. withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal does not serve as a good precedent for negotiating an agreement with North Korea.The U.S. announced earlier this month it would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed with China, France, Russia, the U.K. and Germany in 2015. U.S. President Donald Trump took issue with the agreement signed under the Barack Obama administration, stating it left room for Iran to violate the terms.This comes when Trump is set to have a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.“Now they're on the verge of making a very grand and big agreement between the U.S. and North Korean leaders,” Ban said in an interview with CNBC.“I personally believe it has been given a very problematic message in terms of credibility, trust and confidence in the U.S. What kind of message will North Korea get from this?” he asked.“CanMay 17, 2018
South offers to mediate US-NK standoff South Korean President Moon Jae-in / YonhapBy Kim RahnSeoul will play a more active role in helping Washington and Pyongyang narrow the gap for their denuclearization talks, after North Korea threatened to cancel the planned summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. In a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) at the presidential office, ranking security and diplomatic officials here said they would continue their contacts with the North through various channels to resolve the abrupt standoff in the nuclear disarmament negotiations.The meeting was convened a day after Pyongyang suddenly cancelled high-level talks with Seoul, citing ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint air force exercises, and threatened to reconsider the Kim-Trump summit if Washington forces it to unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons.“The NSC members pledged to help the U.S. and North Korea coordinate their stances through various channels, so the upcoming Washington-Pyongyang summit can be held successfully based on mutual respect,” Cheong WaMay 17, 2018
South Korean urges North to implement summit agreements Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom speaks to reporters at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. / YonhapSouth Korea's National Security Council (NSC) on Thursday called on North Korea to faithfully implement agreements for denuclearization and peace reached at the recent inter-Korean summit, one day after the communist state abruptly called off a high-level meeting largely aimed at discussing ways to implement the summit agreements."Members of the NSC standing committee discussed future steps in regard to North Korea's decision to postpone the high-level South-North dialogue scheduled for May 16. While reaffirming their stance that the Panmunjom Declaration reached at the April 27 South-North Korea summit must be carried out without any disruption, the members agreed to continue consulting with the North side to hold the high-level talks at an early date," the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.The NSC meeting, chaired by Chung Eui-yong, the top security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, was held earlier Thursday. Panmunjom is a small border village inside the heavily fortified DeMay 17, 2018
Trump insists on North Korea's denuclearization U.S. President Donald Trump / APU.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged on Wednesday it was unclear if his summit with North Korea would go ahead after Pyongyang threatened to pull out of the unprecedented meeting, a move that could deny him a potentially major foreign policy achievement.North Korea threw into doubt the June 12 summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and Trump on Wednesday, saying it might not attend if Washington continues to demand it unilaterally abandon its nuclear arsenal. North Korea also called off talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday, blaming U.S.-South Korean military exercises."We'll have to see," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if the summit was still on, though he insisted he would not back down from his demand for North Korea's denuclearization."No decision, we haven't been notified at all ... We haven't seen anything, we haven't heard anything," he said.Trump's muted response was in marked contrast to just a few days ago when he exulted over North Korea's release of three Americans, welcoming them home with praise for Kim andMay 17, 2018
Xi emphasizes friendship 'sealed in blood' with North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping / AFPChinese President Xi Jinping has met with visiting North Korean ruling party officials and emphasized the importance of advancing a friendship "sealed in blood" between the two countries, the North's state-run media reported Thursday.The group led by Pak Thae-song, a member of the Political Bureau and vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, arrived in Beijing on Monday. He is accompanied by senior party officials representing major provinces and cities."Welcoming the friendship group's visit to China, Xi Jinping said that China is attaching very importance to the work to propel the traditional friendship between the two countries sealed in blood to a higher stage as required by the new era," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in an English report."He noted with pleasure that he met Chairman Kim Jong-un two times and exchanged the comprehensive and detailed views on the matters of concern including the development of the relations between the two parties and the two cMay 17, 2018
White House hopeful Kim-Trump summit will occur White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders / ReutersThe White House is "still hopeful" the summit between North Korea's Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump will proceed despite Pyongyang's threat to cancel it, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Wednesday."We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path," Sanders told Fox News. "At the same time ... we've been prepared that these might be tough negotiations.""The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing."The North warned it may back out of the high-level summit -- set for June 12 in Singapore -- if the United States pressures it to relinquish its nuclear arsenal."If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan said in a statement carried by state media.China, North Korea's sole major ally, voiced "hope" the meeting would still go ahead.In recent weeks Kim has twMay 16, 2018
