WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that it is important for the international community to form a "united front" to denuclearize North Korea.
"We discussed North Korea and the importance of maintaining a united front in support of the peaceful, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," she said at a press conference during a trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Thursday (local time), according to a transcript released by her department.
Clinton's comments came after a series of meetings with her counterparts from South Korea, China, Japan and other nations participating in the ASEAN Regional Forum. ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The secretary's visit to Asia comes as Washington redoubles efforts to engage the region after a decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Clinton said Washington is pushing for closer partnerships and alliances to that end.
"America's alliances with Japan and South Korea are cornerstones of our engagement in the region, and all three of us have stepped up our engagement with ASEAN, including by establishing dedicated missions to ASEAN in Jakarta," she said.
At the start of bilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Phnom Penh, meanwhile, Clinton said, "It is an important signal that the United States and China not only can but will work together in Asia."
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