Seoul: A U.S. envoy reaffirmed that "complete denuclearization" of North Korea remains the policy shared with South Korea, despite its absence in the new U.S. security strategy document. Acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim emphasized this position after meeting with First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo. This meeting occurred shortly after the Donald Trump administration released its latest National Security Strategy (NSS), which notably omitted any mention of North Korea or a commitment to its denuclearization, in contrast to previous versions from 2017 and 2022.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim highlighted the reaffirmation of the denuclearization policy by President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in a joint fact sheet, which was recently released following their summit. Kim stated, "That is our Korea policy right now," underscoring the continued focus on North Korea as a significant issue in discussions with Park. The dialogue also covered ways to effectively coordinate on related issues.

Kim further mentioned that South Korea has reaffirmed the importance of coordination on joint military exercises, addressing calls within South Korea to adjust these drills with the U.S. to encourage dialogue with Pyongyang. Kim cited South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn's remarks on the critical nature of these exercises, describing them as the "lifeline of a military."

When questioned about the possibility of revising the nuclear energy pact to allow Seoul to enrich uranium and reprocess spent fuel, Kim stated that discussions are ongoing. He assured that efforts would continue to implement the commitments outlined in the joint fact sheet from recent summits between President Lee and President Trump. The document addresses trade, investment, security, and other bilateral issues, including support for South Korea's peaceful use of civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, in line with existing agreements and U.S. legal requirements.

In recent high-level talks in Washington, both countries agreed to establish working groups for further discussions on the joint fact sheet, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing collaboration.