New Delhi:
Days after his historic summit with Kim Jong-un in Singapore, President Donald Trump has extended the “national emergency” for one more year, saying that North Korea still poses an “extraordinary threat” to the national security of the United States.
This comes just nine days after Trump tweeted that “There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea” following his meeting with the North Korean dictator.
“The existence and risk of proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material and the actions and policies of the North Korean government continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” stated an executive order signed by Trump.
The national emergency has been in place in the US since 2008 amid the deteriorating tied with North Korea. The bilateral relations between the “nuclear power” nations touched a new low in the last one year with Trump-Kim trading war threats.
However, the world took a sigh of relief after the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore on June 12. It was the first ever summit between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. After the summit, Trump had said that Kim agreed to “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean Peninsula.
US indefinitely suspends select exercises with South Korea
Although Trump still considers North Korea a "threat" to the national security of the United States, he has suspended the select military exercises with South Korea, which was the key demand of Kim Jong-un before he starts denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
According to the Pentagon, US defence Secretary James Mattis announced to have “indefinitely suspended” select exercises with South Korea to support diplomatic negotiations with North Korea.
"To support implementing the outcomes of the Singapore Summit, and in coordination with our Republic of Korea ally, Secretary Mattis has indefinitely suspended select exercises," Pentagon's chief Spokesperson Dana White said.
North Korea has hailed the US move to suspend military exercises with South Korea. During the Singapore summit, Kim had told Trump that he took the US-South Korea drills in the Korean waters as a threat to his country.
