President Donald Trump Cancels June Meeting With Kim Jong Un

WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump has canceled a planned summit next month between himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The meeting had been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

In a letter to Kim, Trump wrote that he "greatly" appreciated Kim's "time, patience, and effort" regarding the recent negotiations on the summit, but said the rogue leader's recent hostility made Trump rethink the face-to-face gathering.

"I was very much looking forward to being there with you," wrote Trump. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

North Korea had cast even more doubts on the meeting when it threatened to make America “taste an appalling tragedy,” The Guardian reported.

North Korea’s vice-foreign minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement earlier Thursday: “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.” He also described Vice President Mike Pence as “ignorant and stupid.”

Trump says it's best for both parties — even if it's a "detriment" to the world — not to have the meeting.

Trump also issued a veiled threat, touting America's "massive and powerful" nuclear capabilities, that he "prayed" would never need to be deployed.

Trump left the door open for future meetings though and said he still looks forward to meeting Kim.

"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write," Trump wrote.

The news comes just hours after North Korea said it had destroyed its only known nuclear test site. Journalists from various organizations, including The New York Times and CNN, watched North Korean engineers destroy and close tunnels at the test site, where all six of its nuclear tests were held, The Times reported.

However, there were no independent nuclear monitors to verify the site was destroyed.

You can read Trump's full letter to the North Korean leader here.

Trump cancels on Singapore meeting via letter to Kim pic.twitter.com/PBgcijjEgE
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) May 24, 2018

Ed Royce, the Republican chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, said in a statement that the goal is to "peacefully end North Korea’s nuclear threats" and that the Trump administration should continue to seeking opportunities to do so, while applying "maximum diplomatic and financial pressure" against Kim.

"Our allies – including South Korea and Japan – need to stand with the United States. There can be no daylight between us,” said Royce.

The White House Communications Agency on Monday had unveiled a commemorative "trip coin" ahead of the now-axed face-to-face summit. Photos showed Trump and Kim facing each other over top the flags of their respective nations.

Photo credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images