North Korea’s denuclearization absent from readouts of latest U.S.-South Korea talks

The top diplomats of the United States and South Korea spoke over the phone Monday, but conspicuously missing from readouts of their talks was any mention of North Korea’s denuclearization. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun did not mention a commitment to ridding Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons, long a key staple of the allies’ discussions, according to statements by both sides. The call was Rubio and Cho’s first since U.S.

President Donald Trump announced a scaling-back of joint military exercises by the allies last week while signaling an interest in returning to talks with North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un.