North Korea says it is no longer interested in holding summit after President Trump implied in a tweet that one might be on the horizon.
Foreign Ministry adviser Kim Kye-gwan said in a statement that the hermit nation has no interest in holding a “fruitless” summit with the United States and is not looking to let Trump score political points by doing so.
“We will not give the U.S. president anything to boast of without getting anything in return,” he said. “We need to get the fair price for what President Trump has boasted as his achievements.”
The statement came after Trump lightly defended political opponent Joe Biden from North Korean officials who smeared the former vice president as a “rabid dog.”
“Mr. Chairman, Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a ‘rabid dog.’ He is actually somewhat better than that, but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be. You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon!” Trump tweeted Sunday.
[Related: ‘A badge of honor’: Biden welcomes North Korea calling him a ‘rabid dog’]
Mr. Chairman, Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a “rabid dog.” He is actually somewhat better than that, but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be. You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon! https://t.co/kO2k14lTf7
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2019
Kim, who formerly served as North Korea’s envoy, said he took the tweet to mean that Trump believed another summit talk was incoming. The Monday statement from North Korea also blasted the lack of progress made during previous summits between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“Since June last year, three summit meetings and talks have taken place, but no progress had been made between the United States and the DPRK,” the statement said. “Even now, the United States is pretending to have progress regarding the Korean peninsula issue and gaining time for their benefit.”
North Korea has continued to provoke the U.S., South Korea, and Japan after test-firing a number of missiles since the last summit. Kim was recently pictured riding a white horse on the nation’s sacred Mount Paektu. The country’s state media said at the time that a “great operation” was likely coming.
