US official says 'no change' in US policy toward N. Korea

WASHINGTON — A U.S. official said Wednesday that there has been "no change" in U.S. policy toward North Korea, amid growing concerns over whether President Donald Trump's administration remains committed to pursuing the denuclearization of North Korea.

The official made the comment in response to Yonhap News Agency's question about whether the Trump administration's goal remains the "complete" denuclearization of the North, as it has repeatedly stated.

Last week, Trump declined to answer a reporter's question about whether his goal in reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is denuclearization, raising concerns that Washington could shift its policy focus toward goals short of denuclearization, such as arms control and tension reduction.

"There has been no change in U.S. policy," the official told Yonhap News Agency via email.

As Trump seeks a meeting with the North Korean leader later this week, questions have arisen over whether he would lower the bar for diplomacy with Pyongyang at a time when the recalcitrant regime has insisted on its nuclear status as "irreversible," and vowed not to bargain away its nuclear program.

Trump's apparent conciliatory gesture toward the North, including the recent scaling back of a joint military exercise with South Korea, has further raised questions over whether his administration would focus less on or shift away from denuclearization.

Amid such questions, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday that the two allies remain committed to the denuclearization goal.

"South Korea and the U.S. have consistently maintained the goal of peace, stability and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," ministry spokesperson Park Do-sun told a regular press briefing.