North Korea Threatens with Nuclear Showdown

North Korea has threatened the United States with a nuclear showdown if the scheduled talks between the two nations fail. The recent comment by Choe Son-hui, North Korea’s Minister of foreign affairs came after US Vice President Mike Pence's comments, where he said North Korea is going to face the same fate as Libya.

Choe Son-hui, the deputy Minister of the North Korean foreign ministry said it is up to the United States how they give the present dialogue, a solution. It may be either by meeting on the planned summit, which is scheduled between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on 12th June at Singapore or by facing nuclear showdown. She said, “Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at a nuclear showdown is entirely depends upon the decision and behavior of the United States”.

She was responding to the comment made by US Vice President Mike Pence, who during a recent TV interview said, “As the President made it clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal”. Choe Son Hui has also made it clear that North Korea is not going to request the US to sit for the summit, “We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us.”

North Korea for years has been cited the example of Libya for the upkeep of its nuclear weapon program. As it is known to the world that only after 8 years of Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi agreed to stop its nuclear weapon development program in an agreement with the United States. He was ousted from the power and killed by the United States with the help of NATO-backed forces.

Even after weeks of threat by North Korea, US President Donald Trump on his part seems not in a mood to call off the much-hyped summit between him and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. President Trump recently said that the meeting could be delayed, but both sides appear to be moving ahead with the planning process. Speaking to the media, he said, “Whatever it is, we will know next week about Singapore and if we go I think it will be a great thing for North Korea.”

Senior officials from White House are expected to reach Singapore by this weekend to work with North Korea on its agenda before the scheduled summit. North Korea is expected to destroy its tunnels at the nuclear test site, as promised during its meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae in this April.

If everything goes well then Donald Trump and Kim's summit will be the first meeting between a sitting US President and any North Korean leader.

The recent deterioration of relation between the US and North Korea started when last week, US National Security Advisor John Bolton compared North Korea’s denuclearization with that of Libya, which ended with the violent defeat of Libya and death of its leader Muammar Gaddafi.