North Korea has expressed its annoyance at the joint military drills that America is still conducting with South Korea in spite of trying to bring peace in the region, The Daily Mail reported. The North interprets the drills as a step towards an invasion and wants to distance itself from the summit. Pyongyang has said that lifting of sanctions must not be linked to the dismantling of its nukes, as suggested by National Security Adviser John Bolton.
Daily Mail UK reports that the proposed summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12 appears to be in jeopardy.
The hermit kingdom wants the United States to do away with preconditions for the summit.
It is a sensitive issue
North Korea had kept the world on tenterhooks by its regular missile launches and its claims of having acquired the ability to nuke the United States. They sent a couple of missiles in the direction of Japan and had also identified a few American targets that led to fears of a possible nuclear war. As a result, global sanctions were imposed on the regime and Pyongyang felt the pinch. Kim held out an olive branch to South Korea and Moon Jae-in took the initiative to break the ice via the route of the 2018 Winter Olympics, Fox News reported.
The summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore could pave the way to bring back peace in the Korean peninsula.
However, a stumbling block has appeared. The issue is a sensitive one and it requires delicate handling. It is evident from the reaction of North Korean leaders that the Trump administration is taking an extremely tough stand which might prove to be counterproductive.
Peace must get a chance
Things were moving towards a probable settlement on denuclearization which would have removed the clouds of a nuclear war.
North Korea has already released three persons who were held as prisoners. It was seen as a first step toward the planned summit to be held between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore. However, in view of the US-South Korea military drills, Pyongyang has canceled high-level talks with Seoul scheduled in the border town of Panmunjom.
It was supposed to be a follow-up to the previous meeting that Kim Jong-un had with Moon Jae-in.
The White House is continuing with its preparations for the summit. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has confirmed that it is in touch with South Korea on the subject. The Trump administration was working toward creating a new diplomatic framework with Kim’s regime. That appears to have come across a stumbling block. Let us hope it is a temporary setback.