The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States reaffirmed the allies' "resolute" commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea and the "full" enforcement of sanctions against it during their talks in Washington on Thursday, a State Department spokesperson said.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held their first talks since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration last month, as Seoul and Washington face a series of cooperation issues, including preparations for a summit between Lee and US President Donald Trump.
Their meeting came just a day after Trump announced a trade deal with Korea, saying that his summit with President Lee will take place at the White House in two weeks.
"Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Cho also reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK, the full implementation of international sanctions, and expressed serious concerns about North Korea's increasing military cooperation with Russia," Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson, said in a readout.
DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The chief diplomats' show of unity against North Korean nuclear threats came days after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ruled out the possibility of talks on the North's denuclearization, while noting the personal relationship between Trump and Kim is "not bad." (Yonhap)
