Quad joint statement omits reference to Korean Peninsula denuclearization

The first Quad foreign ministers' meeting since the launch of the new Donald Trump administration has taken place.

But their joint statement left out any reference to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and included nothing about North Korea issues.

Lee Seung-jae reports.

The top diplomats of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan met in Washington for their first Quad foreign minister's meeting since the launch of the Donald Trump administration earlier this week.

This meant that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was the first to be confirmed in Trump's new Cabinet, was taking part in the meeting for the first time.

However,.. the joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of the Quad nations saw the removal of any reference to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Instead,.. the top diplomats vowed to strengthen a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, while opposing "any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion."

It also did not mention China or North Korea by name.

The latest joint statement is in stark contrast to the previous years, where the foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The difference in the joint statement also comes as Trump and his defense chief nominee Peter Hegseth used the term "nuclear power" to describe North Korea.

And according to a prominent U.S. expert and former officer at the U.S. National Intelligence Council Sydney Seiler,.. the new U.S. administration believes Pyongyang's nuclear threat has evolved over the last four years,.. given the use of a term,.. that was largely avoided by U.S. officials in the past.

Seiler says the Trump administration "faced the reality" that the regime "continues to grow its arsenal qualitatively and quantitatively," and the threat is greater than four years ago.

He added that the remarks are a "realistic view" of the threat.

While the term "nuclear power" is different from "nuclear-weapon state," a term used to describe countries like the U.S., Russia, and the UK, it raises concerns for South Korea,.. which seeks close policy coordination with Washington to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.