Washington: Us president Donald Trump on Thursday called off a planned historic summit with North Korean leader kim JONG-UN ,even after north Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test side.
Referring to a schedule June 12 meeting with kim in Singapore, Trump said in a letter to the North Korean leader "sadly based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time , to have this long planned meeting "
Trump called it " a missed opportunity" and said he still hoped to meet kim someday . The North Korean mission to the United Nations did not immediately responds to a request for comment on Trump's cancellation of the summit.
US stocks dropped sharply on the news, with the benchmark S&P 500 Index falling more than half a percent in about 10 minutes. Investors turned to US Treasury debt as a safe alternatives , driving the yield on the 10 year note , which moves inversely to its price, down below the psychologically important 3 % level .
"Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties , but to the determinent of the world, will not take place" .
Trump wrote " you talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God that they will never have to be used."
Earlier on Thursday, North Korea repeated a threat to pull out of the summit with Trump next month and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary . North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons has been a source of tension on the Korean peninsula for decades , as well as antagonism with washWashing.
The rhetoric reached new heights under trumTras he mocked kim as " little rocket man" and in address at the UN threatened to " totally destroy " North Korea if necessary. Kim had called Trump mentally deranged and threatened to" tame " him with fire . Kim rarely leaves North Korea and his willingness to meet and Trump's acceptance sparked hope but it had faded in recent days .
In a statement released by North Korean media, vice foreign minister chor son Hui had called US vice-president Mike pence a "political dummy" for comparing North Korean -- a " nuclear weapons state " --- to Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi gave up unfinished nuclear development programme, only to be later killed by NATO - backed fighters . " Whether the US will meet us a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear to nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of US " choe said .
A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition of tunnels at the punggye- to site on Thursday, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.
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