Ahead of the talks between the nuclear envoys of South Korea and the U.S. in Berlin this week,... the U.S. State Department talked about its stance on North Korea's denuclearization... adding that the latest North Korea-U.S. meeting at the DMZ wasn't exactly a "summit" between the two leaders.
Kim Ji-yeon has more.
The U.S. State Department has made it clear its goal is to seek a complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction in North Korea... beginning with a freeze on their production.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday,... spokesperson Morgan Ortagus explained a nuclear freeze has never been the end goal of the Trump administration... and that U.S. President Donald Trump is committed to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through diplomacy.
She added a nuclear freeze is just the beginning of the process... signaling that the U.S. may be open to adopting a step-by-step approach to the North's nuclear dismantlement, starting with the freeze and ending with a complete scrapping of WMDs.
Washington's previous stance had centered on the regime dismantling all of its nuclear and missile facilities before easing any sanctions.
Her comments come after growing controversy following a New York Times report saying the U.S. could settle for a nuclear freeze in hopes it'll create a foundation for the next round of talks with Pyeongyang.
On the nature of the 50-or-so-minute meeting held between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inside the Freedom House... at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom late last month... Ortagus said the meeting should not be regarded as a summit between the two leaders... but an impromptu gathering.
It's believed a third summit would take place if the bilateral working-level talks planned for this month go ahead and lead to progress.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.