SEOUL, South Korea_ North Korea threatened to walk away from its meeting with President Donald Trump next month if the U.S. makes a "one-sided demand" for the regime to give up its nuclear weapons.
North Korea's first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye Gwan, said the regime was disappointed by provocative comments from the U.S., according to a statement published Wednesday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The statement cited comments by National Security Adviser John Bolton urging a "Libya model" for the rapid dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
"If the Trump administration comes to the summit with the sincere intent to improve DPRK-U.S. relations, then it will deserve a good response," Kim Kye Gwan said, according to KCNA. "But if it forces us into a corner by pushing for the abandonment of our nukes only, in a one-sided demand, then we won't have an interest in such talks anymore and will reconsider whether to respond to the upcoming summit."
Earlier Wednesday, North Korea abruptly canceled talks with South Korea and warned the U.S. to "think twice" about Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for next month in Singapore. The moves undercut some of the optimism after Kim agreed to discuss his nuclear weapons program in a first-of-its-kind meeting.
