The world has its eyes fixed on a scheduled summit between the leaders of North Korea and the United States,... but it appears the two sides are having a tough time coordinating the details of the historic meeting.
While the U.S. is taking a hard-line approach to denuclearization,... Pyongyang is ratcheting up criticism against the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign against the regime.
Kim Hyo-sun tells us more.
Coordination for a summit between North Korea and the United States seems to be becoming increasingly strategic.
Washington is urging Pyongyang to permanently and verifiably give up its nuclear program,... substituting the word "complete" with "permanent" as it addresses the North's nuclear issue.
Watchers say the change in wording signals a more hard-line approach to denuclearization which not only includes the regime's nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles but also other weapons of mass destruction like chemical and biological programs.
A delay in the final announcement of the date and location of the summit as well as the repatriation of U.S. detainees in the North also hint that the two parties are having difficulty coordinating the first-ever summit between the sitting leaders of the two countries.
While the U.S. is closely coordinating with Japan on North Korea,... Pyongyang has criticized Tokyo for advocating maximum pressure on the regime.
The regime's external propaganda outlet, Meari, accused Tokyo of making hostile remarks against the North despite its ongoing efforts to resolve the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson also warned the U.S. that continued pressure and military threats could ruin the hard-won atmosphere of dialogue and bring the situation back to square one.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.