Seoul/Washington, 19 June (H.S.): David Villezole, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of State, has said that the denuclearisation of North Korea remains one of the Trump administration's highest priorities. He stressed that the central objective of the United States' policy towards North Korea continues to be its complete denuclearisation.

According to South Korea's state-run Yonhap News Agency, Villezole, who oversees affairs related to Japan, Korea and Mongolia, made the remarks during an event organised by the Tri Forum. He said that if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is willing to engage in dialogue, the Trump administration is also prepared to hold talks.

At the same time, he said the United States would continue to pursue its policy of peace through strength while working closely with its allies to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions against North Korea and curb its cybercrimes, including cryptocurrency theft.

Notably, the Tri Forum is a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

Villezole said that during the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearisation of North Korea. He added that leaders of the G7 nations reiterated the same commitment during their meeting in France earlier this week.

His remarks come at a time when North Korea continues to expand its nuclear weapons programme while declaring its nuclear status to be irreversible. Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, also rejected the G7's renewed call for denuclearisation, describing it as a red line that cannot be crossed.

Villezole also commented on the issue of transferring wartime Operational Control (OPCON) to South Korea. He said the United States would attach significant importance to the views of its military leadership on the matter and that the transfer process would proceed carefully and with due deliberation.

His remarks come as Seoul hopes to regain wartime OPCON soon, possibly before the end of 2028. However, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander General Xavier Brunson recently told a House hearing that both allies aim to fulfil the necessary conditions by the first quarter of 2029.

South Korea transferred operational control of its armed forces to the United Nations Command, led by the United States, during the 1950-53 Korean War. In 1978, wartime operational control was transferred to the Combined Forces Command established by the two allies. Seoul regained peacetime OPCON in 1994, but wartime operational control continues to remain under U.S. command.

Commenting on South Korea's business environment for American companies, Villezole said there is still room for improvement regarding occasional discriminatory treatment faced by U.S. firms. Nevertheless, he emphasised that relations between Seoul and Washington remain exceptionally strong.

He was apparently referring to the case involving e-commerce company Coupang Inc., which came under investigation following a major data breach in South Korea.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar