Just as I think that I have the process and its linkages figured out the North Koreans throw a curve ball!  The cancellation of yesterday’s talks as a protest against US – South Korean previously planned military exercises may tell us some things about the process continuation.

The North’s official news agency said Pyongyang had called off high-level talks with Seoul. Citing first vice minister of foreign affairs the news agency  said the fate of the unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit, as well as bilateral relations, “would be clear” if the United States spoke of a “Libya-style” denuclearization for the North.

“If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit”.

There are several possible messages here:

• There may be a power struggle between the hardliners and those in favor of denuclearization within the hierarchy of North Korea
• We may be witnessing the traditional North Korean drive a hard bargain approach, which is not incompatible with the first observation
• This may be a test of President Trump—how tough will he hang? Will he be willing to walk away?

Interestingly the dialogue with Secretary Pompeo by phone has continued.  This is most likely just another negotiating gambit.  However, the power struggle argument must be given serious consideration.  The North Korean military is first in the “chow line” when it comes to the government distributing what little bit of resources that it has.  If the military believes that this favored position will be threatened by denuclearization and the end of the “almost hostilities with the South and the US” then it may be trying to force a more belligerent and stronger position.  It wants its share of whatever good comes form the summit.

Only time will tell.