North Korea's indefinite suspension of high-level inter-Korean talks is apparently designed to express its discontent with strong U.S. demands for immediate and complete denuclearization. Pyongyang is also trying to put more pressure on Washington to extract more concessions from the U.S. side at an upcoming summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump to be held in Singapore on June 12.
On Wednesday, the North also threatened to cancel the unprecedented summit with the U.S. if it comes under continued pressure to "unilaterally" abandon its nuclear program. This threat came hours after Pyongyang abruptly suspended South-North talks planned for the day. The North cited the two-week Max Thunder joint air drills between the South and the U.S. as a reason for the suspension.
It is regrettable for Pyongyang to make such a threat which could pour cold water on the growing mood for detente not only with Seoul, but also Washington. We hope the North will refrain from going back to its old tactics of agreeing to do something and then undoing it. Such tactics could only prove Kim's olive branch is nothing but a disguised peace gesture to avoid a potential U.S. pre-emptive strike or buy time to develop a nuclear arsenal.
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