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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 16 May 2018

Located next to Wilhelmina Restaurant Tel. 583-0404
North Korea threatens to cancel U.S. summit over drills

Continued from Front ruckus that it’s causing with “The defensive nature of Kim told visiting South Ko- response to the North’s an-
South Korean authorities,” these combined exercises rean officials in March that nouncement.
The surprise declaration, the North said Wednes- has been clear for many he “understands” the drills The North’s statement
which came in a pre- day. “We’ll keenly monitor decades and has not would take place and ex- Wednesday comes amid a
dawn dispatch in North how the United States and changed,” said Manning. pressed hope that they’ll slew of surprising moves in
Korea’s state media, ap- South Korean authorities Washington and Seoul be modified once the situ- recent weeks.
pears to cool what had will react.” delayed an earlier round ation on the peninsula sta- On Tuesday, South Korea’s
been an unusual flurry of Annual military drills be- of drills in the spring be- bilizes, according to the military said North Korea
outreach from a country tween Washington and cause of the North-South South Korean government. was moving ahead with
that last year conducted Seoul have long been a diplomacy surrounding South Korea didn’t imme- plans to close its nuclear
a provocative series of major source of contention February’s Pyeongchang diately make any official test site next week, an as-
weapons tests that had between the Koreas, and Winter Olympics in the South Korean army soldiers look toward North’s side as ribbons
many fearing the region analysts have wondered South, which saw Kim send hanging on a wire fence wishing for the reunification of the two
was on the edge of war. whether their continuation his sister to the opening Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju near the border village of
It’s still unclear, however, would hurt the detente ceremonies.q Panmunjom, South Korea, Wednesday, May 16, 2018.
whether the North intends that, since an outreach Associated Press
to scuttle all diplomacy or by Kim in January, has re-
merely wants to gain lever- placed the insults and
age ahead of the planned threats of war.
June 12 talks between Kim Earlier — and much larger
and Trump. — springtime drills, which
The statement by North Ko- Washington and Seoul
rea’s Korean Central News toned down, went off with-
Agency was released out the North’s typically
hours before the two Ko- fiery condemnation or ac-
reas were to meet at a bor- companying weapons
der village to discuss how tests.
to implement their lead- In Washington, the U.S.
ers’ recent agreements to State Department empha-
reduce military tensions sized that Kim had previ-
along their heavily fortified ously indicated he under-
border and improve their stood the need and pur-
overall ties. pose of the U.S. continuing
It called the two-week Max its long-planned exercises
Thunder drills, which began with South Korea.
Monday and reportedly State Department spokes-
include about 100 aircraft, woman Heather Nauert
an “intended military prov- said the U.S. had not heard
ocation” and an “appar- anything directly from
ent challenge” to an April Pyongyang or Seoul that
summit between Kim and would change that.
South Korean President “We will continue to go
Moon Jae-in, when the ahead and plan the meet-
leaders met on their border ing between President
in their countries’ third-ever Trump and Kim Jong Un,”
summit talks since their for- Nauert said.
mal division in 1948. KCNA Army Col. Rob Manning
said the U.S. aircraft mo- said this current exercise is
bilized for the drills include part of the U.S. and South
nuclear-capable B-52 Korea’s “routine, annual
bombers and stealth F-22 training program to main-
fighter jets, two of the U.S. tain a foundation of military
military assets it has previ- readiness.”
ously said are aimed at Manning, a Pentagon
launching nuclear strikes spokesman, said the pur-
on the North. pose of Max Thunder and
“The United States must exercise Foal Eagle — an-
carefully contemplate the other training event — is to
fate of the planned North enhance the two nations’
Korea-U.S. summit amid abilities to operate togeth-
the provocative military er to defend South Korea.