Anchor: U.S. President Donald Trump is laying blame on China for the stalled diplomacy with North Korea. While arguing that China is not helping due to the current trade dispute with the U.S., Trump also dialed back on his defense chief's suggestions about restarting military drills on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Bum-soo has more.  

Report:  

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
(Reporter: "It doesn't look like North Korea is holding up their end of the deal.")
"Well, we're going to have to see, but I think China probably has a great influence over North Korea. I have a fantastic relationship with Chairman Kim…” 
 
U.S. President Donald Trump has implicated China as a culprit behind the current stalemate in the nuclear talks with North Korea.
 
[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
"Well, with North Korea, we'll have to see. I think part of the North Korean problem is caused by our trade disputes with China. China has been taking out about 500 billion a year from the United States for many years.”

Trump also told reporters Wednesday that China is the route to North Korea, citing that some 93 percent of products and various things that go into North Korea go in through China. 

The remarks came alongside a statement from the White House tweeted by President Trump, which said that there is no reason for the U.S. to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games at this time. 

[Sound bite: US Secretary of Defense James Mattis (Tue. Aug. 28)]
“We took the step to suspend several of the largest exercises as a good-faith measure coming out of the Singapore summit. We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises.” 

While backtracking on comments made by U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis at a news conference just a day earlier, the statement warned that if the exercises resume, they will be “bigger than ever.” 

Major exercises between the two sides, including the large-scale Freedom Guardian exercise which were slated for August, had been suspended after Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June.

As Trump tried to sustain the momentum for dialogue with North Korea, Mattis himself said no decisions have been made about suspending the drills. 

The defense chief said in a statement that U.S. and South Korean forces maintain a high state of military readiness and vigilance in full support of a diplomatically-led effort to bring peace, prosperity and stability to the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News]