North Korea Threatens to Cancel Meeting with Trump if Unilateral Pressure for Nuclear Disarmament Continues

The Deputy Foreign Minister of North Korea stated that if pressure continues on the country to unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons, Pyongyang will reconsider its upcoming negotiations with the United States. Kim Kye-gwan said on May 16 to the official news agency of North Korea, "If (the U.S.) wants us to engage in negotiations that completely corner us and make unilateral demands for us to abandon our nuclear weapons, we will no longer be interested in negotiations." He added that in such circumstances, "it is obvious that we will reconsider our response to the upcoming negotiations with the U.S." He stated, "If the Trump administration enters negotiations with a sincere commitment to improve relations, it will receive an appropriate response from us." On May 10, Donald Trump tweeted, "The meeting between Kim Jong Un and me will take place on June 12 in Singapore. We will both try to create a special moment for world peace." The North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister also criticized the statements of John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, and other U.S. officials regarding the necessity of pursuing the "Libya option" for North Korea's nuclear arsenal and agreeing to "complete and irreversible nuclear disarmament." This North Korean official referred to Washington's demand for the complete abandonment of nuclear weapons as a first step, followed by the suspension or lifting of sanctions. South Korean media have reported in recent weeks that there are two options for North Korea: one is that the U.S. government could engage in a suspension-for-suspension approach similar to the nuclear negotiations with Iran, meaning that the nuclear program and sanctions would be dismantled step by step, or that North Korea would be asked to completely and irreversibly abandon its nuclear program and benefit from the suspension or lifting of sanctions after verification. Recently, Japan's state news agency reported that U.S. officials had told Tokyo that they preferred the second option. John Bolton stated last week that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA is a sign that America will not accept "unsatisfactory" proposals and will strengthen this position. Bolton remarked, "I think the message for North Korea is that the President wants a real agreement." Trump is a staunch critic of the nuclear deal with Iran and has withdrawn his administration from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He has called for reforms in the JCPOA, including preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons irreversibly and without time limits, leading to extensive inspections of Iranian facilities. Tehran has opposed renegotiating the JCPOA. A senior Trump administration official, when President Trump accepted negotiations with North Korea's leader, told reporters, "All options are on the table, and our position toward the North Korean regime will not change until we see serious actions toward nuclear disarmament. What we are looking for are serious steps toward nuclear disarmament." The latest statements from the senior North Korean official came just hours after Pyongyang announced it would suspend planned negotiations with Seoul due to joint military exercises by South Korea and the U.S. The South Korean Ministry of Defense stated that the joint exercise will proceed.