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| ▲ Mignon Houston, deputy spokesperson at the State Department, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News at the department in Washington on Feb. 5, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(Yonhap Interview) S Korea-US-diplomacy
(Yonhap Interview) U.S. State Dept. reaffirms America's nuclear umbrella for S. Korea, N.K. denuclearization goal
By Song Sang-ho and Kim Dong-hyun
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. State Department on Thursday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to providing extended "nuclear" deterrence to South Korea and pursuing North Korea's "complete" denuclearization, as key U.S. security documents did not mention the commitment, raising questions over its security policy stance.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Mignon Houston, deputy spokesperson at the department, also said that President Donald Trump's administration looks forward to seeing the "next steps" under a bilateral trade deal, apparently calling for Seoul's efforts to address trade barriers and raise investments in the United States.
"There has been no change in our real belief and real efforts to promote extended nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula," she said. "This is a president of peace. We have seen him over the last year help end almost eight wars around the world."
She went on to say, "Our policy, as it relates to a complete denuclearization of North Korea, has not changed."
"We continue to be concerned about ballistic missiles and its nuclear program that creates greater instability and fear in the region at large, and for U.S. national security as well," Houston said.
"We continue to stand and ... unwavering support for the Republic of Korea," she added, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Her remarks came as neither the Trump administration's National Security Strategy nor its National Defense Strategy included a mention of the deterrence commitment and the North's denuclearization goal, raising questions whether its absence in the documents signals any policy shift.
Some observers raised the possibility that no reference to the commitment and the goal in the security documents might be intended to leave the door open for the resumption of diplomacy with Pyongyang.
Asked if there is a possibility that Trump would seek to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when he visits China in April, Houston said she does not have anything to preview.
"But the president has said from the beginning of this administration and beyond that he will always meet with those when it is in the best interest of U.S. citizens and U.S. national security," he said.
The interview took place as Seoul has been stepping up diplomacy to dissuade Washington from raising "reciprocal" and auto, lumber and pharmaceutical tariffs on South Korea to 25 percent from 15 percent following Trump's recent threat for the tariff hike.
Trump issued the threat last week, citing a delay in South Korea's legislative process required for the implementation of the trade deal, under which Seoul has committed to investing US$350 billion in U.S. industries, among other pledges, in return for Washington lowering reciprocal tariffs on South Korea.
Houston indicated the need for South Korea to take the "next steps" as part of the trade deal.
"We look forward to continuing to work on the trade deal to see next steps," she said, casting South Korea as "the linchpin of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and as a "very close ally" to the U.S.
She noted that South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the trade issue during their talks earlier this week.
"(Rubio) talked about the trade deal and how we look forward to next steps, really seeing the Republic of Korea address these trade barriers as well as increased investment in the U.S.," she said. "So we will see more from that."
Commenting on the concerns that the trade issue could negatively affect the implementation of agreements on other fronts, such as Seoul's push to secure nuclear-powered submarines and civil uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing rights, the diplomat said, "People are quite aware of where things stand."
"We are looking for progress, but we have just a great deal of respect for the Republic of Korea, knowing that working together, there is nothing we can't achieve," she said, referring to the department's readout regarding the meeting between Cho and Rubio.
She also expressed expectations for South Korea's role as the chair of FORGE, a U.S.-led initiative to strengthen and diversify critical mineral supply chains, through June.
"Our expectation is that with the Republic of Korea's leadership, the FORGE initiative will really go in the right direction," she said.
"It is a true testament to the secretary's and the administration's trust in the Republic of Korea, based on having them with this new initiative really chair it."
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