North Korea threatens to cancel Trump Summit

North Korea has threatened to pull out of a planned summit with President Donald Trump if the US continues to insist on the regime giving up all of its nuclear weapons.

A North Korean official said the country had no interest in a summit with US if it was based on “one-sided” demands to give up nuclear weapons, according to state media.

In an angry statement, North Korea's vice-foreign minister accused the US of making reckless statements and of harbouring sinister intentions. He points the finger squarely at US National Security Adviser John Bolton.

"We do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," said Kim Kye-gwan.

The groundbreaking agreement for Kim and Trump to meet came about as North Korea said it was committed to denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

The statement added Trump would remain as a “failed president” if he followed in the steps of his predecessors.

“We will appropriately respond to the Trump administration if it approaches the North Korea-US summit meeting with a truthful intent to improve relations,”  Kim Kye Gwan said.

Kim Kye-gwan is known to be highly respected in the North Korean leadership and has taken part in negotiations with the US before. There is very little chance his comments were not personally endorsed by Kim Jong-un.

Hours before the announcement, in a sign of growing problems, North Korea had also pulled out of a meeting scheduled with South Korea on Wednesday.

That was a reaction to the start of US-South Korea joint military drills. North Korea had said it would allow them to go ahead, but then called them "a provocative military ruckus" which was undermining its diplomatic efforts.