South Korea says denuclearization discussed in first Cho-Rubio phone call

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during their first phone call, held Monday.

Ministry spokesperson Park Du-sun made the clarification at a regular briefing after reporters noted that the word "denuclearization" had not appeared in the readout distributed after the call. "The two countries consistently uphold the goals of peace, stability and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," Park said.

"Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a position that South Korea and the United States consistently maintain, and it is also the consistent goal of the international community, as confirmed by numerous UN Security Council resolutions," Park said. "The two sides hold an unwavering stance on the goal of denuclearization."

Park added that the two countries were pursuing their North Korea policy in close coordination to achieve that goal, and that the matter was discussed during the foreign ministers' call.

The call, which lasted about 30 minutes beginning at 10 p.m. Monday, covered a broad range of bilateral issues, including the South Korea-US alliance, security and economic matters, North Korea's nuclear program, the situation in the Middle East and South Korean investment in the United States.

Rubio briefed Cho on the situation in the Middle East, including Iran, and on US diplomatic efforts to restore peace and stability in the region. Cho expressed appreciation for US leadership and said Seoul would continue to discuss concrete ways it could contribute, including restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The two sides agreed to meet in person as soon as possible, with working-level officials set to coordinate a schedule. Diplomatic circles have raised the possibility of a bilateral meeting during a potential US visit by Cho or on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.