Kevin Kim, Charg? d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Korea, visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on December 10 and reportedly met with Jeong Yeondu, Director-General for Foreign Strategy and Intelligence and South Korea's chief representative for North Korea nuclear negotiations, to discuss North Korea policy.
After the meeting, Kim spoke to reporters as he was leaving the building, stating, "The United States and South Korea are working closely together on all matters," and described the discussions as "very productive." He added, "We are cooperating very closely on all issues related to North Korea."
Recently, Kim has held a series of meetings with senior South Korean officials, including Unification Minister Jeong Dongyoung and Defense Minister Ahn Kyubaek. Some media outlets have reported that, during these closed-door meetings, Kim expressed concerns over President Lee Jaemyung's use of the phrase "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula" instead of "denuclearization."
However, when asked whether the United States is concerned about the phrase "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula," Kim did not provide a specific answer.
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