U.S., S. Korea on N. Korea

[Anchor]

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio from the Trump administration's second term and South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul had their first phone call and agreed to closely cooperate on the North Korean nuclear issue.

However, the security consultative body involving the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India.

In the joint statement of the Quad foreign ministers, the expression 'denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula' has disappeared, raising concerns that the North Korean denuclearization issue may be losing priority in U.S. foreign policy.

Kim Kyung-jin reports.

[Report]

The first move of Marco Rubio, the new foreign policy chief of the Trump administration, was the Quad foreign ministers' meeting with Japan, India, and Australia.

This clearly indicates that the top priority of the Trump administration's foreign policy is 'containing China.'

Although China was not directly mentioned in the Quad's joint statement, the phrase 'opposing changes to the status quo by force' targeted the South China Sea issue.

The expression 'denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula', which usually appeared in Quad statements, was omitted.

This raises concerns that North Korean denuclearization may be losing priority in U.S. foreign policy.

Secretary of State Rubio stated in his first call with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul that they would maintain close cooperation regarding the North Korean nuclear issue.

A foreign ministry official explained, "The U.S. is still in the process of reviewing its North Korea policy," adding, "Minister Cho will visit the U.S. as soon as possible to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue."

[Lee Jae-woong/Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: "We have agreed to coordinate a specific schedule to hold a Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting in Washington at an early date."]

Secretary Rubio also mentioned that his call with Minister Cho within 24 hours of taking office demonstrates the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance, stating that the U.S. defense commitment to South Korea is as solid as a rock.

However, the U.S. State Department's announcement, unlike South Korea's, does not mention 'North Korea's nuclear issue' but instead refers to 'common challenges in the Indo-Pacific region,' which encompasses not only North Korea but also China.

There are analyses suggesting that this indirectly hints at the role of the Korea-U.S. alliance in containing China.

KBS News, Kim Kyung-jin.