[KCNA / Yonhap Photo]
SEOUL -- North Korea renewed its threat Thursday to walk away from a planned summit with the United States next month after President Donald Trump suggested his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may not happen.
The threat from Choe Son-hui, a North Korean vice foreign minister, came a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in flew into Washington for talks with Trump to remove skepticism over Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization and the June 12 summit in Singapore.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan warned last week that Pyongyang would reconsider the summit if it is forced to "unilaterally" give up its nuclear program. He opposed Libyan-style methods, saying North Korea already possesses its own nuclear arsenal.
"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said in comments carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit," she said, accusing U.S. Vice President Mike Pence of mentioning a Libya-style approach and military option.
"As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice-president," Choe said. "We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us."
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