US President Donald Trump takes the presidential oath on the day of his inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington, Monday. (Reuters-Yonhap)
US President Donald Trump takes the presidential oath on the day of his inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington, Monday. (Reuters-Yonhap)

The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's reference to North Korea as a "nuclear power" aligns with his previous approach on the recalcitrant regime, suggesting that it should not be seen as his administration recognizing it as a nuclear-armed state.

In a press availability shortly after the swearing-in ceremony Monday, Trump called the North a "nuclear power" and said that he "got along very well" with its leader Kim Jong-un, apparently referring to their direct engagement during his first term in office.

Trump's first public mention of the isolated state since his inauguration drew attention in South Korea amid growing expectations he might seek to revive the nuclear diplomacy with Kim that broke down after the no-deal summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019.

During the presidential campaign, Trump boasted about his personal ties with the reclusive leader. Trump had three in-person meetings with Kim during his first term.

Regarding his latest remarks, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said the comments are "in line with" the statements Trump made during the first term and throughout the presidential race, which "emphasize engagement with the North at the leader-to-leader level to address the nuclear issue."

"It is also noteworthy that President Trump's remarks came in response to reporters' questions as he was saying that there were other threats in addition to the North Korean issue," the ministry said.

The ministry reiterated that denuclearizing the North is a principle firmly upheld by the international community, including South Korea and the United States.

"Under the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), North Korea can never be recognized as a nuclear-armed state," it said, referring to the international agreement on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.

Only five countries are acknowledged as nuclear-armed states under the NPT: the United States, Britain, Russia, France and China.

North Korea acceded to the NPT in 1985 but withdrew from it in 2003 after Washington accused the regime of pursuing a secret uranium enrichment program in violation of their bilateral agreement on freezing its nuclear programs.

"We will continue to work closely with the new US administration on North Korea's denuclearization, while maintaining cooperation with the international community on the issue," the ministry added.

Seoul's Defense Ministry also stressed that the North's denuclearization remains a "prerequisite" for lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond.

An official at Seoul's Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations separately said South Korea and the United States have both maintained a "unified" position for North Korea's denuclearization.

"South Korea and the US have maintained a firm and unified stance on the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization," the official told reporters. "The government will establish a close cooperative system with the new US administration."

Trump's remarks came after his Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth also described North Korea as a "nuclear power" in written answers to the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing last week.

Most US officials have generally been reluctant to openly call Pyongyang a nuclear power as it could be viewed as accepting and legitimizing what they have called an illicit weapons program. (Yonhap)