South Korea: The U.S. says North Korea has canceled the meeting with Pompeo

The South Korean Foreign Minister, quoting U.S. officials, stated that North Korea has canceled a scheduled meeting this week between Mike Pompeo and a senior Pyongyang official. Kang Kyung-wha said on Tuesday that North Korea sent a message to Washington indicating the cancellation of the meeting and negotiations that were supposed to address the denuclearization of the peninsula and plan for the second round of talks between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. Just hours before these remarks, Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated that the meeting between Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol had been postponed. She did not specify a reason for the postponement but mentioned that if the schedule permits, they would hold the meeting again. Kim Yong-chol is one of the most influential figures in North Korea's leadership circle and had previously met with Pompeo. Kang Kyung-wha also did not provide an explanation for why North Korea canceled the meeting that was supposed to take place in New York. Ms. Kang informed South Korean parliament representatives that she intends to discuss this matter over the phone with her American counterpart. The South Korean Foreign Minister stated that no specific meaning should be sought from this incident: 'The Americans told us that North Korea says the meeting should be postponed because the schedules of both sides do not allow it.' U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said there is 'no rush' for the meeting between Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol. The South Korean presidential office had previously stated that the postponement of the meeting between the two sides 'will not affect the negotiation process between Washington and Pyongyang.' Seoul has been working hard in recent months to continue the negotiation process between the U.S. and North Korea. The two countries, whose leaders threatened each other with war, 'preemptive nuclear strikes,' and 'fire and fury' last year, have taken a different path this year. Last spring, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had a historic meeting in Singapore and agreed to take steps toward the denuclearization of North Korea. However, Pyongyang has not hidden its dissatisfaction with certain issues, such as the continuation of sanctions. Meanwhile, Washington has emphasized that sanctions will remain in place until denuclearization occurs. In recent weeks, the U.S. President has made statements indicating that he does not intend to rush the negotiation process with North Korea or, as he put it, that the issue of North Korea's denuclearization is 'not a timed game': 'If it takes two years, three years, or five months, it doesn't matter. [Currently] there are no missile and nuclear tests.'