North Korea Cancels Talks with South, Questions Trump-Kim Summit

 

North Korea has cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea over its joint¹ military exercises with the United States.

The North also is raising questions about the upcoming meeting between its leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump².

The two Koreas were set to meet Wednesday at the border village of Panmunjom. The sides are expecting to plan military and Red Cross discussions in an effort to reduce tension. They also planned to discuss reuniting families separated by the Korean War.

South Korea’s Yonhap new agency reported that the North cancelled hours before the meeting. The report questioned whether the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and Trump would happen as planned.

North Korea said the reason for the cancellation³ was the ongoing⁴ U.S.-South Korea military exercises. The two-week military exercises started Friday.

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency said, “The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative⁵ military ruckus jointly⁶ conducted with the South Korean authorities.”

Heather Nauert is a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department. She said the U.S. had no information from North Korea about plans to cancel the meeting. She added the U.S. continues to plan for the meeting.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

South Korea’s National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong met with Kim in March. He said the North Korean leader understood that “routine” joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. would continue.

But North Korea did not publicly withdraw its long-standing demand for an end to joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises.

On Tuesday, North Korea’s state newspaper also said it is “unacceptable and “extremely rude” for the U.S. to voice concerns about human rights abuses. Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department issued a statement voicing concerns over human rights abuses in North Korea.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

deliberations –n. careful thought or discussion done to make a decision

summit –n. a meeting between leaders of two or more countries

provocative –adj. causing discussion, thought, or argument

ruckus –n. a noisy argument, fight

routine –n. describing a regular way of doing things

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

6 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。