President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, in Hanoi. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
HANOI, Vietnam — US President Donald Trump said his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fell through after the North demanded a full removal of US-led international sanctions in exchange for the shuttering of the North’s Yongbyon nuclear facility.
Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters in Vietnam on Thursday that the United States wasn’t willing to make a deal without the North committing to giving up its secretive nuclear facilities outside Yongbyon as well as its missile and warheads program.
Experts have said Washington shouldn’t give up too much for a Yongbyon-only deal as the North is believed to be secretly operating other uranium enrichment sites hidden around the country.
Trump said the summit ended on a good note but that there are no current plans for a third summit. /kga