Democratic Party Platform Omits 'North Korea Denuclearization'... Government Affirms Strong ROK-US Commitment

US Democrats Remove 'North Korea Denuclearization' from New Platform
Foreign Ministry: "The International Community, Including South Korea and the US, Remains Firm in Its Commitment"

Although the U.S. Democratic Party's revised platform ahead of the November presidential election omitted the goal of 'North Korean denuclearization,' the South Korean government stated that the commitment of both South Korea and the U.S. to North Korean denuclearization remains firm.

On the 20th, Lee Jae-woong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to related questions at a regular briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul, saying, "The commitment of the international community, including South Korea and the U.S., to North Korean denuclearization is steadfast." He added, "The government will consistently pursue efforts toward North Korean denuclearization through a comprehensive approach of deterrence, restraint, and diplomatic dialogue based on close South Korea-U.S. cooperation."

Lee Jae-woong, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [Photo by Yonhap News]

The spokesperson reiterated, "Regardless of the election outcome, we will continue to maintain close communication and cooperation with the U.S. regarding North Korea and North Korean nuclear policies." This was interpreted as a caution against overinterpretation of the U.S. presidential election outlook.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters that day, "The party platform does not include policies on all specific issues," and "It is expected that these will be specified and materialized depending on the election results and consultations with major countries."

Earlier, concerns arose that the removal of the 'North Korean denuclearization' goal from the Democratic Party's platform, which had been included in the previous platform, might give the impression of recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state. The phrase from the 2020 platform stating, "We will build a sustained and cooperative diplomatic campaign to advance the longer-term goal of denuclearization (of North Korea)," was deleted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.