U.S. says it’s committed to North Korea’s ‘denuclearization’ after talks omit key phrase

The U.S. State Department said that it remains committed to North Korea’s “denuclearization,” days after talks between Seoul and Washington’s top diplomats produced readouts that did not mention ridding Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons.

“The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to questions from The Japan Times.

The spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether the issue had been discussed during a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Monday.