Trump welcomes DPRK’s response to talk cancellation

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US President Donald Trump said on Friday he was pleased that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said it was still open to talks after his abrupt cancellation of a planned June 12 meeting.

"Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea (DPRK). We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!" Trump said on Twitter.

Twitter Photo

The DPRK on Friday said it was still willing to talk to the US after Trump cancelled a summit between the two countries, a decision Pyongyang described as "extremely regrettable."

"The abrupt announcement of the cancellation of the meeting is unexpected for us and we cannot but find it extremely regrettable," Kim Kye Gwan, the DPRK's first vice foreign minister, said in a statement reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"We again state to the US our willingness to sit face-to-face at any time in any form to resolve the problem," Kim added.

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his planned June summit with Kim Jong Un, blaming "open hostility" from the DPRK and warning Pyongyang against committing any "foolish or reckless acts."

In a letter to Kim, Trump announced he would not go ahead with the high-stakes meeting set for June 12 in Singapore, following what the White House called a "trail of broken promises" by the DPRK.

In his Friday statement, First Vice Foreign Minister Kim said the DPRK leader had been preparing for the summit to go ahead.

"Our Chairman (Kim Jong Un) had also said a meeting with President Trump would create a good beginning and had been putting effort into preparations for it," Kim said.

A dust cloud surrounds the area near the entrance to a tunnel at the DPRK's Punggye-ri nuclear test facility during its demolition, May 24, 2018. /VCG Photo

Just before Trump announced the cancellation of the talks, the DPRK declared it had "completely" dismantled its nuclear test site, in a carefully choreographed move portrayed as a goodwill gesture ahead of the summit.

But the chances of success for the unprecedented face-to-face had recently been thrown into doubt.

On Thursday, Pyongyang hardened its rhetoric by attacking US Vice President Mike Pence as "ignorant and stupid."

That broadside appeared to hit a nerve with Trump, leading to him abruptly pulling out of the talks.

People watch a television news presentation at a railway station in Seoul showing the dismantling of the DPRK's Punggye-ri nuclear test site, May 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," read Trump's letter to Kim, which was dictated word-for-word by the US leader, according to a senior White House official.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters