S. Korea says will continue to push for NK denuclearization after Trump calls N. Korea 'nuclear power'
U.S. President Donald Trump signs a series of executive actions on stage during a presidential inaugural event at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. EPA-Yonhap
The South Korean government said Tuesday it would continue to push for North Korea's denuclearization after U.S. President Donald Trump called North Korea a "nuclear power" as he returned to the presidency for his second term.
Trump made the remark to reporters shortly after his swearing-in ceremony in Washington on Monday (local time), noting he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "got along very well."
When asked about Trump's comments, Seoul's defense ministry said the government would continue to seek North Korea's denuclearization and work closely with the international community toward the goal.
"Denuclearization of not only the Korean Peninsula but also North Korea should be continually pursued as a prerequisite for permanent peace and stability in the world," Jeon Ha-kyou, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a regular briefing.
An official at Seoul's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations separately said South Korea and the United States have both maintained a "unified" position for North Korea's denuclearization.
"South Korea and the U.S. have maintained a firm and unified stance on the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization," the official told reporters. "The government will establish a close cooperative system with the new U.S. administration."
Trump's remarks came after his Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth also described North Korea as a "nuclear power" in written answers to the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing last week.
Most U.S. officials have generally been reluctant to openly call Pyongyang a nuclear power as it could be viewed as accepting and legitimizing what they have called an illicit weapons program. (Yonhap)