North Korea Scraps Talks With South, Where Does That Leave Trump?

People watch a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 16, 2018.
People watch a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
People watch a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 16, 2018.
People watch a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

North Korea Scraps Talks With South, Where Does That Leave Trump?

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North Korean officials canceled historic talks with South Korea earlier this week, hours before they were slated to begin. President Trump is still slated to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June to discuss denuclearization. North Korea (DPRK) claims the U.S. and South Korea violated a non-aggression pact signed last month for conducting annual military exercises near the border. The DPRK claims that the U.S. flew 100 warplanes, including B-52 bombers. The Pentagon denies that the nuclear bomb-equipped planes participated in the exercises.

President Trump rests a lot of political hope on talks with North Korea, especially after pulling out of the Iran Deal. Earlier this week, seven Republican state governors signed a letter to nominate Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his headway with the North. We’ll see whether those talks will still happen and what kind of leverage North Korea has with Philip Yun. He’s been in hundreds of hours of negotiations with North Korea, is a former senior adviser to Bill Clinton, and is currently the executive director and COO of the Ploughshares Fund.