Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 18 May 2018
Seoul pushes for successful Trump-Kim talks as North warns

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and analysts have won-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) dered whether their con-
— North Korea strongly tinuation would hurt the
criticized South Korea over detente that, since an out-
ongoing U.S.-South Korean reach by Kim in January,
military exercises on Thurs- has replaced the insults
day and said it will not re- and threats of war. Much
turn to talks with its rival until larger springtime drills took
Seoul resolves its grievanc- place last month without
es. the North's typically fiery
The comments came a condemnation or accom-
day after North Korea can- panying weapons tests,
celed a high-level meeting though Washington and
with the South because of Seoul toned down those
the drills and threatened to exercises.
scrap next month's historic The North's news agency
meeting between its lead- said the U.S. aircraft mo-
er, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. bilized for the current drills
President Donald Trump, include nuclear-capable
saying it has no interest in B-52 bombers and stealth
a "one-sided" affair meant F-22 fighter jets, two of the
to pressure it to abandon its U.S. military assets it has
nuclear weapons. People watch a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North previously said are aimed
The North's threat cooled Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South at launching nuclear strikes
what had been an un- Korea, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. on the North. The allies say
usual flurry of diplomatic the drills are defensive in
moves from a country that 12 in Singapore. ticing strikes on strategic rea "unless the serious situ- nature.
last year conducted a pro- In quotes published by targets in North Korea, and ation which led to the sus- Seoul's Defense Ministry
vocative series of weapons the North's official Korean accused the South of al- pension of the North-South said F-22s are involved in
tests that had many fearing Central News Agency, Ri lowing "human scum to hurt high-level talks is settled." the drills, but not B-52s. Min-
the region was on the edge Son Gwon, chairman of a the dignity" of the North's Hours earlier, South Korea istry spokesman Lee Jin-
of war. It also underscored North Korean agency that supreme leadership. said it was pushing to re- woo said B-52s had never
South Korea's delicate role deals with inter-Korean af- Ri was apparently referring set the high-level talks with been part of plans for this
as an intermediary be- fairs, accused South Ko- to a news conference held North Korea and planning year's drills, focused on pi-
tween the U.S. and North rea's government of being at South Korea's National to communicate closely lot training, denying media
Korea and raised questions "an ignorant and incompe- Assembly on Monday by with the U.S. and North Ko- speculation that Washing-
over Seoul's claim that Kim tent group devoid of the Thae Yong Ho, a former se- rea to increase the chanc- ton and Seoul withdrew
has a genuine interest in elementary sense of the nior North Korean diplomat es of a successful summit the bombers in reaction to
dealing away his nukes. present situation, of any who defected to the South between Trump and Kim North Korea's allegation.
Analysts said it's unlikely that concrete picture of their di- in 2016. Thae said it's highly on resolving the nuclear Kim told visiting South Ko-
North Korea intends to scut- alogue partner and of the unlikely that Kim would ever standoff. rean officials in March that
tle all diplomacy. More like- ability to discern the pres- fully relinquish his nuclear The South urged the North he "understands" the drills
ly, they said, is that it wants ent trend of the times." weapons or agree to a ro- to faithfully abide by the would take place and ex-
to gain leverage ahead of Ri said the "extremely ad- bust verification regime. agreements reached be- pressed hope that they'll be
the talks between Kim and venturous" U.S.-South Kore- Ri said it will be difficult to tween Kim and South Ko- modified once the situation
Trump, scheduled for June an military drills were prac- resume talks with South Ko- rean President Moon Jae-in on the peninsula stabilizes,
in their summit last month, according to the South Ko-
where they issued a vague rean government.
vow on the "complete de- Despite Kim's outreach,
nuclearization" of the pen- some experts have been
insula and pledged perma- skeptical that he would
nent peace. completely give up a nu-
Senior officials from the two clear program that he has
Koreas were to sit down pushed so hard to build.
at a border village on The North previously vowed
Wednesday to discuss how to continue nuclear devel-
to implement their lead- opment unless the United
ers' agreements to reduce States pulls its 28,500 troops
military tensions along their out of South Korea and
heavily fortified border and withdraws its so-called
improve overall ties, but the "nuclear umbrella" security
North canceled the meet- guarantee for South Korea
ing. In Washington, Trump and Japan.
said the U.S. hasn't been Wednesday's threat could
notified about the North also be targeted at show-
Korean threat to cancel ing a domestic audience
the summit with Kim. that Kim is willing to stand
Annual military drills be- up to Washington. Kim has
tween Washington and repeatedly told his people
Seoul have long been a that his nukes are a "pow-
major source of conten- erful treasured sword" that
tion between the Koreas, can smash U.S. hostility.q