WASHINGTON -- The United States on Wednesday retained North Korea on its list of terrorism-sponsoring states, but reaffirmed in stronger language its commitment to remove the communist regime once Pyongyang fulfills its denuclearization obligations, Yonhap news agency reported.
On South Korea, the annually announced report expressed satisfaction with Seoul's law enforcement and intelligence capabilities, and said it remains a valuable partner in the fight against terror financing and money laundering, the agency said.
The report, which assesses developments in 2007, does not mention the U.S. announcement last week that North Korea helped Syria, another country designated for abetting terrorism, build a covert nuclear reactor.
But a State Department official said the U.S. was looking into the recent revelation, including whether that is "valid" information.
"We are looking very carefully at those situations with our intelligence analysts, ensure we got the right information as to whether those are valid or not," said Dell Dailey, coordinator of the Office for Counterterrorism, at a press briefing on the report.