North Korea cancels high-level inter-Korean talks, citing S. Korea-U.S. joint drills
- 6 years ago
We start with the big news that broke out of North Korea overnight.
Just ten hours before today's scheduled high-level inter-Korean talks were set to begin,... North Korea announced that it would be staying away.
It's laying the blame at South Korea's feet... for its joint drills with the U.S.
This move caught everyone off guard because -- over the past few months -- the regime has been accepting of the exercises between the allies.
To tell us more about this rapid and unexpected shift in mood on the Korean peninsula,... we have our unification ministry correspondent Oh Jung-hee on the line.
Jung-hee, what does the North say?
Mark,
Not only did the North notify South Korea of the cancellation via the inter-Korean contact channel... but Pyongyang also posted a very long statement through its state media.
It explained it could not help but call off today's high-level talks, specifically because of the Max Thunder exercise -- a massive combined air force drill between South Korea and the U.S. that started last Friday.
Saying the drill involves some 100 warplanes, including B-52 bombers and F-22 stealth fighter jets, Pyongyang called it an apparent challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation.
The North stated that South Korea is breaking the two Koreas' promise to lower military tensions... and therefore, Seoul is to blame for the cancellation.
Pyongyang warned the improvement in inter-Korean relations and its dialogue momentum with the U.S. doesn't mean Seoul and Washington can hold their combined drills anytime.
What's worrisome is that Pyongyang even left open the possibility of cancelling its summit with the U.S.,... saying Washington will have to consider the fate of their summit as well.
Well,... what a difference a day can make… a night in this case, but this is nonetheless a concerning development and a very strong message from North Korea.
It's still very early in the morning here,... but do we have any response from the South Korean government?
We do not have an official response from the South Korean government yet, but it's known that South Korean officials were indeed surprised and perplexed... because, as you've mentioned, the North has not brought up the joint drills as an issue until now.
Also, it was just yesterday that Pyongyang suggested holding high-level talks today... which was already days after the Max Thunder exercises kicked off.
The Seoul government says it will announce its stance on this after discussions among related ministries.
Meanwhile, it's known the White House convened a meeting after the North's announcement and plans to reveal its stance soon.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson said this announcement from Pyongyang won't have any impact on preparing for the Pyongyang-Washington summit next month and the U.S. won't be wavered.
She added... North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has rather said he understands the importance of the joint drills for South Kor
Just ten hours before today's scheduled high-level inter-Korean talks were set to begin,... North Korea announced that it would be staying away.
It's laying the blame at South Korea's feet... for its joint drills with the U.S.
This move caught everyone off guard because -- over the past few months -- the regime has been accepting of the exercises between the allies.
To tell us more about this rapid and unexpected shift in mood on the Korean peninsula,... we have our unification ministry correspondent Oh Jung-hee on the line.
Jung-hee, what does the North say?
Mark,
Not only did the North notify South Korea of the cancellation via the inter-Korean contact channel... but Pyongyang also posted a very long statement through its state media.
It explained it could not help but call off today's high-level talks, specifically because of the Max Thunder exercise -- a massive combined air force drill between South Korea and the U.S. that started last Friday.
Saying the drill involves some 100 warplanes, including B-52 bombers and F-22 stealth fighter jets, Pyongyang called it an apparent challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation.
The North stated that South Korea is breaking the two Koreas' promise to lower military tensions... and therefore, Seoul is to blame for the cancellation.
Pyongyang warned the improvement in inter-Korean relations and its dialogue momentum with the U.S. doesn't mean Seoul and Washington can hold their combined drills anytime.
What's worrisome is that Pyongyang even left open the possibility of cancelling its summit with the U.S.,... saying Washington will have to consider the fate of their summit as well.
Well,... what a difference a day can make… a night in this case, but this is nonetheless a concerning development and a very strong message from North Korea.
It's still very early in the morning here,... but do we have any response from the South Korean government?
We do not have an official response from the South Korean government yet, but it's known that South Korean officials were indeed surprised and perplexed... because, as you've mentioned, the North has not brought up the joint drills as an issue until now.
Also, it was just yesterday that Pyongyang suggested holding high-level talks today... which was already days after the Max Thunder exercises kicked off.
The Seoul government says it will announce its stance on this after discussions among related ministries.
Meanwhile, it's known the White House convened a meeting after the North's announcement and plans to reveal its stance soon.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson said this announcement from Pyongyang won't have any impact on preparing for the Pyongyang-Washington summit next month and the U.S. won't be wavered.
She added... North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has rather said he understands the importance of the joint drills for South Kor