South Korea Disappointed at Abrupt US Decision to Cancel Kim Summit

Moon: Trump and Kim must meet for direct communications

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed serious disappointment in President Trump’s decision to cancel the June 12 summit with North Korea. South Korea went to considerable lengths to facilitate the summit, and was surprised by the cancellation.

President Moon and President Trump

Moon says he believes the current level of US-North Korea dialogue is insufficient to accomplish anything. He said that Trump and Kim absolutely must meet in direct communications to make any new progress.

Analysts see the matter as more serious for US-South Korea relations, viewing Trump’s abrupt cancellation as a sign of “diplomatic disrespect” toward Moon, who had been repeatedly consulted about the talks.

North Korea responded to Trump’s cancellation with similar disappointment, but said they’d give the US time to change their mind. That may be happening, as just one day after the cancellation, Trump is already saying it’s possible the talks could still take place.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.