U.S. Focusing on N. Korea Denuclearization: State Dept.

August 15, 2018

Washington- A U.S. Department of State official reiterated Tuesday the country's policy of attaching more weight to North Korea's denuclearization than to declaring an end to the Korean War.

"We support a peace regime, a peace mechanism by which countries can move forward toward peace," department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a news conference.

But "our main focus is on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and that's something we've been very clear with many governments about," Nauert said, apparently warning against Pyongyang's calls for a declaration to formally end the 1950-1953 war despite its lack of concrete steps toward denuclearization.

Meanwhile, the spokeswoman appreciated the return home from North Korea of the remains of U.S. service members killed in the war, saying, "That is certainly a step in the right direction."

Noting that the United States opened a dialogue with North Korea after many years without one-on-one conversations, Nauert said, "We think that that is progress."

Regarding President Donald Trump's reported wish to send Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea again, she said her department has no travel plans for the secretary to announce at the moment. Jiji Press