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The warning comes as KCNA reported North Korea has suspended talks with South Korea because of a joint military drill conducted by South Korea and the US.
“We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
However, the White House was caught off guard by the reports, according to aides. One official affirmed an assertion from the State Department that it has received no information from Pyongyang about the status of the talks.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert defended joint US-South Korean military exercises Tuesday and said the US had not heard of any disruptions to either the planned exercises or the upcoming summit.
While media reports were just emerging as she took the briefing room podium, Nauert said, “We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she cautioned to reporters. “This news just came out. We need to verify it to get additional information on that but we’re going forward in planning our meetings next month.”
Meetings are underway now between White House officials, the National Security Council and Defense Department, the official said.
Talks between the Koreas were set to resume Wednesday. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it received a written notice ahead of the postponement announcement on Wednesday from top North Korean negotiator Ri Son Gwon, according to an official with the Unification Ministry. The official would not reveal the exact content of the note, citing internal protocols.
The KCNA report said the Max Thunder 2018 air combat drill was against the Panmunjom declaration — signed last month between the Koreas — wherein they agreed to cease all hostile acts against each other.
KCNA labeled the Max Thunder drills a “deliberate provocation.”
The Pentagon said Tuesday that “Republic of Korea (ROK) and US military forces are currently engaged in the recurring, annual ROK-U.S. spring exercises, to include exercises Foal Eagle 2018 and Max Thunder 2018.”
The exercise involves the US Air Force and South Korean forces with about 2,000 troops participating, a Department of Defense official told CNN.
“These defensive exercises are part of the ROK-U.S. Alliance’s routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness,” a statement from Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning noted.
“The purpose of the training is to enhance the ROK-U.S. Alliance’s ability to defend the ROK and enhance interoperability and readiness. While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed,” Manning added.
CNN’s Sophie Jeong, Kevin Liptak, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr, Laura Koran and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report
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