North Korea challenges Donald Trump's explanation of the collapse of his summit with Kim Jong Un
North Korea,North Korea Summit,National Security,Defense And Security
President Trump was back in Washington on Friday morning, facing conflicting accounts of why his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down. The president said he walked away from the table because Kim wanted complete sanctions relief. But in a rare press conference overnight, North Korean officials said they only wanted some sanctions lifted.
CBS News correspondent Errol Barnett reports that on his way back to Washington, the president made a refueling stop in Alaska and thanked U.S. service members at an Air Force base, but he did not discuss his summit with Kim, which was abruptly cut short on Thursday.
Earlier President Trump said that the offer put forth by North Korea in Hanoi included them dismantling their central nuclear research and development facility in exchange for complete sanctions relief.
"They wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn't do that," Mr. Trump said.
But just hours later, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho rejected that and said his country had only sought partial sanctions relief in exchange for the shutdown of the nuclear facility at Yongbyon.
Ri said the North had also offered the prospect of getting its one-year-plus halt to nuclear and ballistic missile tests cemented in writing. Mr. Trump had said ahead of the Vietnam summit that, "as long as there's no testing, we're happy."
North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Sun Hui said Mr. Trump's reaction to the deal offered up by his country surprised Kim. He said Kim "may have lost his will (to continue) North Korea-U.S. dealings."
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