NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “North Korea said on Thursday [5-24-18] that it had destroyed its only known nuclear test site, three weeks before its leader, Kim Jong-un, had been planning to meet with President Trump. But only hours after the North Korean news, Mr. Trump announced he had decided to cancel the meeting ‘based on the tremendous anger and open hostility’ displayed by Mr. Kim’s government in recent statements. Less than two weeks ago, Mr. Trump had welcomed North Korea’s plans to dismantle its nuclear test site as a ‘very smart and gracious gesture’ ahead of what would have been the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two countries. Since then, officials on both sides have started returning to the belligerent language that for decades has framed the relationship. One top North Korean official even warned early Thursday that the United States must choose between encountering North Korea in a meeting room or in a ‘nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.'”
-Choe Sang-Hun, “North Korea Said It Destroyed Nuclear Site, Hours Before Trump Canceled Meeting,” The New York Times online, May 24, 2018