North Korea says it is still open to talks with the US after President Donald Trump called off a summit with leader Kim Jong-un, saying it hoped the "Trump formula" could resolve the stand-off over its nuclear weapons program.
Trump on Thursday announced his withdrawal from what would have been the first-ever meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader, scheduled for Singapore on June 12, in a letter to Kim, citing North Korea's "tremendous anger and open hostility".
Trump's decision came after repeated threats by North Korea to pull out of the summit over what it saw as confrontational remarks by US officials.
"We have inwardly highly appreciated President Trump for having made the bold decision, which any other US presidents dared not, and made efforts for such a crucial event as the summit," North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by state media on Friday.
"We even inwardly hoped that what is called 'Trump formula' would help clear both sides of their worries and comply with the requirements of our side and would be a wise way of substantial effect for settling the issue," he said, without elaborating.
Kim Kye Gwan said North Korea's recent criticisms of certain US officials had been a reaction to unbridled American rhetoric, and that the current antagonism showed "the urgent necessity" for the summit.
"His sudden and unilateral announcement to cancel the summit is something unexpected to us and we cannot but feel great regret for it," Kim Kye Gwan said, adding that North Korea remained open to resolving issues with Washington "regardless of ways, at any time".
North Korea had sharply criticised suggestions by Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, and Vice President Mike Pence that it could share the fate of Libya if it did not swiftly surrender its nuclear arsenal.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed by NATO-backed militants after halting his nascent nuclear program.
Trump had initially sought to placate North Korea, saying he was not pursuing the "Libya model" in getting the North to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
While the Trump administration had insisted on North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its nuclear program, Pyongyang had always couched its language in terms of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
North Korea on Thursday announced it had completely dismantled its Punggye-ri nuclear test facility "to ensure the transparency of discontinuance" of nuclear testing.
Trump, in his letter, warnd Kim of the United States' greater nuclear might.
Speaking later, Trump said the US military stood ready if Kim were to take any "foolish" action and that the US would continue its "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who worked hard to help set up the summit, said he was "perplexed" by the cancellation. He urged Trump and Kim to talk directly.
China, North Korea's lone major ally, said the US and North Korea should show patience.
"In the present situation, we really hope that the United States and North Korea can cherish the recent positive progress, exercise patience, show goodwill and meet each other halfway," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.
Australian Associated Press
