South Korea, US stay firm on North Korea

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korea's new government joined hands with the U.S. on Tuesday to commit to "bold and practical" ways to denuclearize North Korea.

Tuesday's agreement came as President Moon Jae-in's security advisers met with visiting representatives from the U.S. National Security Council ahead of a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump next month.

"They agreed that their ultimate goal was the complete disposal of North Korean nuclear weapons," Seoul's presidential spokesperson Yoon Young-chan said at a press briefing.

Yoon added that they would pursue both "sanctions and dialogue," although the NSC's director for East Asia Matt Pottinger later told reporters that now was not the right time for talks with Pyongyang.

The move represented a significant development from Seoul under the government of liberal leader Moon following his victory in last week's presidential election.

Moon has been keen to cooperate with the North after nearly a decade of cooling bilateral ties under conservative rule in the South.

North Korea conducted its latest ballistic missile test early Sunday, claiming the U.S. was within its sights and it had the capability to fire a large nuclear warhead.

The United Nations Security Council was swift to condemn the test, but North Korea's director of Asian affairs, Pak Jong-hak insisted Tuesday that Pyongyang would not be deterred.

"Until the U.S. and its followers make a right choice, we will further produce sophisticated and diversified nuclear weapons and striking means and push to prepare for necessary tests," Pak said according to the North's state-run KCNA news agency.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Navy revealed a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier group was to remain in the vicinity indefinitely, while Seoul's defense ministry warned it was ready to carry out a preemptive strike if it detected a missile threat from North Korea.