US,SKorea Work to Keep Summit on Track 05/23 06:05

   The United States and South Korea are laboring to keep the highly 
anticipated U.S. summit with North Korea on track, even after President Donald 
Trump abruptly said "there's a very substantial chance" it won't happen as 
scheduled.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States and South Korea are laboring to keep 
the highly anticipated U.S. summit with North Korea on track, even after 
President Donald Trump abruptly said "there's a very substantial chance" it 
won't happen as scheduled.

   South Korean President Moon Jae-in reminded Trump Tuesday of the sky-high 
stakes, saying, "The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge" on the 
meeting.

   The June 12 summit, planned for Singapore, offers a historic chance for 
peace on the peninsula --- but also the risk of an epic diplomatic failure that 
would allow the North to revive and advance its nuclear weapons program.

   U.S. officials say preparations are still underway. Secretary of State Mike 
Pompeo, who is appearing Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, 
said, "We're driving on."

   Trump's newfound hesitation appeared to reflect recent setbacks in efforts 
to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern 
whether the self-proclaimed dealmaker can deliver a nuclear accord with the 
North's Kim Jong Un.

   Seated in the Oval Office with Moon Jae-in Tuesday, Trump said Kim had not 
met unspecified "conditions" for the summit. However, the president also said 
he believed Kim was "serious" about negotiations, and Moon expressed "every 
confidence" in Trump's ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.

   "I have no doubt that you will be able to ... accomplish a historic feat 
that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past," Moon said.

   U.S. officials said preparations for the summit were still underway despite 
recent pessimism --- and privately suggested there would be additional public 
maneuvering as both sides seek to maximize their leverage. Both parties to the 
talks are invested in holding the meeting, with Kim seeing an opportunity for 
international legitimacy and Trump the prospect of securing Korean stability 
--- and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize.

   Trump suggested the summit could be delayed rather than canceled: "It may 
not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that we'll have the 
meeting."

   He did not detail the conditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they 
aren't met, "we won't have the meeting." Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said 
Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously discuss denuclearization.

   Skepticism about the North's intentions have mounted in recent weeks after 
Kim's government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, 
objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between U.S. and South 
Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim 
meeting over U.S. insistence on rapidly denuclearizing the peninsula, issuing a 
harshly worded statement that the White House dismissed as a negotiating ploy.

   Trump expressed suspicion that the North's recent aggressive barbs were 
influenced by Kim's unannounced trip to China two weeks ago --- his second in 
as many months. Trump said he'd noticed "a little change" in Kim's attitude 
after the trip.

   "I don't like that," he said.

   The president added that he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually 
committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, calling him a 
"world-class poker player." Trump said he was displeased by China's softening 
of border enforcement measures against North Korea.

   Trump encouraged Kim to focus on the opportunities offered by the meeting 
and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to 
guarantee Kim's personal security but also predicting an economic 
revitalization for the North.

   "I will guarantee his safety, yes," Trump said, noting that promise was 
conditioned on an agreement to complete, verifiable and irreversible 
denuclearization. Trump said if such an agreement is reached, China, Japan and 
South Korea would invest large sums to "make North Korea great."


(KA)