Biden stresses need for complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: White House

U.S. President Joe Biden / Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday highlighted the need to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Biden made the remarks in a call with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, according to the White House.

"They discussed regional security issues, including China and North Korea," a White House readout of the call said.

"They together affirmed the necessity of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the early resolution of the abductions issue," it added.

Biden has repeatedly said his administration will work with U.S. allies, including South Korea and Japan, to denuclearize North Korea.

Still, it marked the first time for the new U.S. president to reaffirm his commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula since he took office a week ago.

North Korea has boycotted denuclearization negotiations since leader Kim Jong-un's second summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal in Hanoi in February 2019. The first Trump-Kim summit was held in Singapore in June 2018.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the new administration will review the country's "entire approach and policy toward North Korea" to find ways to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.

Biden has yet to hold a telephone talk with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, since his inauguration. The two last spoke on the phone in mid-November, soon after Biden was called the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election. (Yonhap)

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