US, S.Korea discuss Peninsula denuclearization

US State Department said on Tuesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with South Korea's Foreign Minister over phone to discuss the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, and they vowed to keep close coordination on the issue.

In a statement released by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo and Kang Kyung-hwa "discussed DPRK denuclearization efforts and the need to maintain pressure" until "the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK" was achieved.

The two officials also "vowed to maintain close coordination and communication and they affirmed the enduring strength of the U.S.-ROK Alliance," Xinhua quoted the statement as saying.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) held senior-level talks on Monday at a border village of Panmunjom, and agreed to hold a summit in Pyongyang between the two nations' top leaders before the end of September.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean top leader Kim Jong Un signed the Panmunjom Declaration after their first summit meeting on April 27. Under the declaration, the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation and exchanges.

--IANS

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