Kevin Kim, Acting US Ambassador to South Korea: "South Korea-US Leaders Reaffirm DPRK Denuclearization"... Close Bilateral Cooperation

[Financial News] Kevin Kim, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the United States to the Republic of Korea, reiterated the US government’s longstanding position on the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). This statement draws a clear line against various speculations following the omission of the phrase 'denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula' from the recently released National Security Strategy (NSS) of the Trump administration's second term.
On the 8th, after a closed-door meeting with Park Yunju, First Vice Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Kim told reporters, "We discussed how South Korea and the United States can best cooperate on various issues, including those involving the DPRK." He added, "This includes the complete denuclearization of the DPRK, which has been agreed upon and reaffirmed by the leaders of South Korea and the United States." Kim further emphasized, "The leaders of South Korea and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK in the fact sheet."
Kim also stated that during previous meetings with Chung Dong-young, Minister of Unification (MOU), and Ahn Gyu-back, Minister of National Defense (MND), he reaffirmed the importance of the complete denuclearization of the DPRK and the significance of the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise.
He noted, "Minister Chung agreed that close coordination between South Korea and the United States is absolutely essential, while Minister Ahn has repeatedly stressed the importance and necessity of the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise." Kim added, "We expect this approach to continue going forward."
Regarding the Agreement for Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America concerning Civil Uses of Atomic Energy, which concerns expanding uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing rights, Kim was asked whether the US side is open to revising the agreement. He responded, "We will have to wait and see what actions are taken in the future," and added, "We will do our utmost to implement the joint fact sheet."
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s first National Security Strategy (NSS) of its second term, released on the 5th (local time), omitted references to the DPRK and denuclearization. This contrasts with the first NSS under the Trump administration, which mentioned the DPRK 17 times and explicitly stated the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
This has raised concerns that the US might tolerate the DPRK’s nuclear program and later enter into negotiations with the DPRK on nuclear arms reduction or a freeze. However, with Kim dismissing such concerns, it appears that close cooperation between South Korea and the United States on the DPRK nuclear issue will continue for the time being.

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter