Rubio describes N. Korea as 'nuclear armed' country

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio whilst greeting Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (not pictured) at the US State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 22. EPA-Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described North Korea as a "nuclear-armed" country in an apparent recognition of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons capabilities, despite the Trump administration's stated commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of the North.

Rubio used the expression in a podcast interview released Wednesday, as he pointed to a series of security challenges facing the United States, including those from China, Russia and Iran.

"We live in a world with a nuclear-armed North Korea, with a nuclear-ambitious Iran," the secretary said in the podcast hosted by The Free Press, according to a transcript provided by the State Department.

He made the remarks as he compared the current contours of security with what they used to be 20 years ago, when the U.S. was what he called a "unipolar power."

President Donald Trump has called North Korea a "nuclear power," noting that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has "a lot of nuclear weapons."

The "nuclear power" expression has raised concerns that it could be construed as official U.S. recognition of Pyongyang's possession of nuclear weapons -- something that could help Kim enhance his regime's legitimacy.

Some observers said the reference to the North as a nuclear power might be intended to help draw the North back to the negotiating table.