A panoramic shot of the former presidential office compound. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The presidential office said Sunday that North Korea's denuclearization remains a "consistent goal of the international community" after Pyongyang criticized Seoul and Washington for reaffirming their shared goal during recent high-level talks.
A senior presidential official reiterated the government's position in response to remarks by North Korea's foreign ministry, which described denuclearization as an "irreversibly finalized" matter after South Korea and the United States reaffirmed their shared goal during the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in Seoul on Thursday.
"Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a consistent goal of the international community, as reaffirmed through multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," the official said.
The official said cooperation between the allies on extended deterrence is part of the government's responsibility to protect its citizens and is fully consistent with the international nonproliferation regime and norms, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
