South Korea and the Trump administration have agreed to use the expression, the "denuclearization of North Korea" instead of the "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Seoul's top envoy to the United States said Wednesday, as the allies have been pursuing the shared policy objective.
Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong made the remarks as the White House has affirmed that President Donald Trump will pursue the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea.
"As for the denuclearization expression, the previous (US) administration had alternately used the expressions -- the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the denuclearization of North Korea -- in a sense," he told a monthly meeting of South Korean correspondents.
"Through consultations with the US side soon after the launch of the Trump administration, the second Trump administration has agreed to use the expression, the denuclearization of North Korea, in a consistent manner," he added.
Following the agreement, the White House used that expression in a message to the press, while that expression was also used in public documents on the outcomes of the US-Japan summit and foreign ministerial meetings among South Korea, the US and Japan, the ambassador noted.
While the two denuclearization expressions largely represent the same purpose of ridding North Korea of its nuclear program given that South Korea does not have nuclear weapons, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula carries a broader meaning that rules out the possibility of South Korea going nuclear or hosting US nuclear arms.
The North has demanded that the US, a treaty ally of South Korea, stop deploying its nuclear assets to the peninsula for military drills or other purposes, as the recalcitrant regime has accused Washington of raising tensions with the deployment of such strategic assets.
Cho noted that the Trump administration's policy on North Korea and security cooperation with allies will take firmer shape going forward although his administration appears to be focusing on more pending issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine, at the moment.
"Through close communication with the US side, we seek to strengthen efforts to ensure that outcomes, such as the strengthening of extended deterrence and the allies' combined defense posture, will further develop (under the Trump administration)," he said.
He also pointed out that multi-faceted efforts have been under way to minimize potential negative ramifications from policy changes and uncertainties associated with Trump's tariff announcements, and to find new opportunities arising from those changes. (Yonhap)
