S. Korean foreign minister vows to see N.K. denuclearization through

NEW YORK, July 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Friday she seeks to ensure North Korea delivers on its promise to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

Kang was in New York to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and member states of the U.N. Security Council over the latest developments since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a commitment earlier this year during his summits with the South Korean and U.S. presidents to the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

Kang and Pompeo held talks at the South Korean mission to the U.N. before providing a joint briefing to representatives from the 15 member states of the U.N. Security Council.

The minister reminded reporters ahead of the meetings that North Korea has repeatedly made a "clear commitment" on complete denuclearization, including during last month's summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

"We will hold them up to that commitment," she said.

Kang and Pompeo last met in Tokyo early this month after the top U.S. diplomat visited Pyongyang to seek more detailed commitments regarding the summit agreement reached by Trump and Kim. The joint statement included a U.S. commitment to providing security guarantees to North Korea in exchange for its denuclearization, and North Korea's promise to recover and return the remains of American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Kang told reporters she and her U.S. counterpart planned to brief each other on the dialogue each side has conducted with the North Koreans since their Tokyo meeting.

She also said the aim of their joint briefing with the U.N. Security Council members was to seek agreement on the latest developments with North Korea.

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