South Korea and the United States are closely coordinating for their joint goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a presidential official said Sunday, following US President Donald Trump's remarks calling North Korea "sort of a nuclear power."
During a press meeting aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump called North Korea "sort of a nuclear power," as he responded to a question about Pyongyang's position that to have talks with Washington, it has to be recognized as a nuclear power.
"South Korea and the US are closely cooperating in accordance with their joint goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the official said, assessing that Trump's remarks appear to have been made in reference to the North's advancing nuclear capabilities.
During the media availability, Trump also said: "I know how many weapons they have, and I know everything about them. But I've got a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un."
"When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they got a lot of nuclear weapons. I'll say that," he said.
Addressing the US president's remarks that his country's trade deal with South Korea is "pretty close to being finalized," the presidential official said while discussions are under way, the exact timing of an agreement has yet to be decided.
The official said Trump appears to have spoken "in principle" in hope for a swift agreement on the trade deal, vowing that the government will do its best to reap a mutually beneficial result that can maximize national interest rather than setting a specific deadline.
Trump is set to visit South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit for planned talks with President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday and with Chinese President Xi Jinping the following day. (Yonhap)
