US, SKorean FMs discuss next steps on Korean Peninsula issue

WASHINGTON – US State Department said on Monday that State Secretary Mike Pompeo and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha have discussed next steps on the Korean Peninsula issue after the summit between leaders of the United States and the Democratic PeopleÚs Republic of Korea -DPRK_ 

According to a statement from State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo and Kang on Sunday discussed ænext steps in the wake of the historic Singapore summitæ via phone 

The two diplomats also pledged to maintain close coordination over the issue and reaffirmed that the United States and South Korea æremain committed to the goal of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization -CVID_,æ or CVID as it is known in nuclear circles= 

The first meeting between a sitting US president and a DPRKÚs top leader on June 12 was a significant and positive move that the world had long called for, although there was no expectation that the half-day summit would be able to iron out all differences and remove deep-seated mistrust between the two countries= 

The two sides issued a joint statement after the meeting, promising to build new bilateral relations and work toward the æcomplete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula=æ 

U=S= and South Korean defense ministries said hours earlier that they would suspend the annual joint military exercises slated for August, a most-anticipated move after the DPRK-US summit Enditem 
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