Trump says summit with Kim may not happen: Yonhap

By Lim Chang-won Posted : May 23, 2018, 07:57 Updated : May 23, 2018, 07:57

[Yonhap News Photo]


WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may not happen next month. Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House ahead of the historic summit set for June 12 in Singapore.

"There's a chance that it will work out. There's a very substantial chance it won't work out," Trump said at the top of his talks with Moon. "That doesn't mean it won't work out over a period of time. But it may not work out for June 12. But there's a good chance that we'll have the meeting."

Preparations for the summit continue, but it could be canceled if U.S. conditions aren't met, he added.

North Korea has threatened to pull out of the summit over U.S. demands for "unilateral" denuclearization. The Trump administration maintains that its aim is the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program, with no promise of concessions until that process is in motion.

Trump said North Korea's denuclearization must take place, and while the summit may not happen June 12, it could still take place later. "I do think he's serious. I think he would like to see that happen," Trump said of Kim's willingness to give up his nuclear weapons program.

He acknowledged the difficulty of getting North Korea to dismantle the program all at once without offering concessions. "It would certainly be better if it were all in one. Does it have to be? I don't think I want to totally commit myself," he said. "You do have some physical reasons that it may not be able to do exactly that. So for physical reasons, over a very short period of time."

Again the U.S. president assured the North Korean leader of his "safety" in exchange for complete denuclearization, indicating he has no plans to remove Kim from power. "He will be safe. He will be happy," Trump explained. "His country will be rich. His country will be hardworking and very prosperous. They're very great people. They're hardworking, great people."

Trump also offered the North investment from South Korea, China and Japan to help make that country "great." The two Koreas could eventually reunify, he added, but for now, it's unclear whether Moon will meet with Kim again after their first summit on the inter-Korean border last month. Moon agreed then to visit Pyongyang in the fall.

Trump again appeared to blame Chinese President Xi Jinping for Kim's sudden threat to cancel the June meeting, saying Xi is a world class poker player. He especially cited Kim's second visit to China, earlier this month, after which Trump said he sensed a shift in attitude.

China has been a key player in the U.S.-led sanctions campaign against Pyongyang. As North Korea's only major ally and trading partner, China has significant leverage over the wayward nation but also has an interest in keeping the North as a buffer against U.S.-allied South Korea. Trump has hinted that Beijing could be using its influence with Pyongyang as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with the U.S.
(Yonhap)
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