Denuclearization Measures

[Anchor Lead]

The foreign policy officials of the Moon Jae-in administration are visiting the United States ahead of the upcoming Seoul-Washington summit. The South Korean officials are trying to find ways to achieve denuclearization in North Korea, by fine-tuning the agenda of the summit with White House officials and the U.S. Congress, as well as discussing military cooperation to promote denuclearization.

[Pkg]

The second deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, Kim Hyun-chong, has visited the White House to fine-tune the agenda of the upcoming summit between the leaders of South Korea and the United States. Sources say Kim has met with White House Deputy National Security Adviser Charles Kupperman to discuss comprehensive ways to achieve denuclearization in North Korea. The South Korean official then met with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to brief them on Seoul's stance and to exchange opinions. The military officials of South Korea and the United States are also holding discussions to facilitate denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang. In the military sector, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan discussed the latest joint military drills and the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea. Shanahan brushed away concerns that the downsizing of joint military exercises might undermine combat readiness, and stressed that there are no gaps in South Korea's national security.

[Soundbite] Patrick Shanahan(Acting U.S. Defense Secretary)

Shanahan added that the 19-1 Exercise held last month was successful, and that South Korea and the United States will discuss applying the improvements made during the exercise to the next drill slated for September. South Korea's defense minister responded by saying that it was a good example of how the governments of the two countries support diplomatic efforts using military means.

[Soundbite] Jeong Kyeong-doo(Minister of Defense) : "I firmly believe that the joint exercises, a symbol of the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance, will further solidify the alliance and its combat readiness."

However, the military officials of Seoul and Washington did not bring up the contentious issue of whether or not South Korea should pay for the operation of the U.S.-controlled wartime command post TANGO located in the South.