North Korea reportedly ghosted US officials ahead of a schedule pre-summit meeting in Singapore
- A North Korean delegation reportedly stood up US officials they were scheduled to meet in Singapore.
- North Korea's no-show raised alarms at the White House.
- Another planned discussion, in which US and North Korean officials will iron out details of the upcoming summit is on the books.
A North Korean delegation reportedly stood up US officials with they were scheduled to meet for a planning session in Singapore, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
That planning session was related with the upcoming June 12 summit between President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Another discussion between a White House negotiating team and North Korean officials is scheduled for this weekend, where the two sides are expected to iron out the landmark summit's agenda and logistics.
North Korea's absence at the earlier meetings reportedly raised alarms at the White House, which coincided with the timing of North Korea's change in posture last week.
Following the US-South Korean joint military drills and worrisome remarks made by national security adviser John Bolton, North Korea struck a tone that clashed with the conciliatory mood it displayed during the South-North Korean summit in April.
Pyongyang has gone so far as publicly hinting that it might withdraw from its summit with the US - a possibility Trump echoed on Tuesday.
"There's a very substantial chance that it won't work out," Trump told reporters, referring to his scheduled meeting with Kim. "That doesn't mean that it won't work out over a period of time, but it may not work out for June 12."
Meanwhile, during a visit to the White House, South Korean President Moon Jae-in remained optimistic and said he was "looking forward to the first-ever US-North Korea summit."