The United States on Friday welcomed the remarks on denuclearization made by Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
"That's a good thing. I mean, if you go back to September 2005, the North Koreans to take a number of steps toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. So we hope to see the North adhere to what it agreed to," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.
The spokesman also said the new U.S. government led by Barack Obama is reviewing its policy toward the DPRK.
During a meeting in Pyongyang on Friday with Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Kim said the DPRK is committed to making the Korean Peninsula a nuclear-free zone and wishes to live in peace with all the parties concerned.
The DPRK does not want the peninsula to be beset with tensions, and is ready to better coordinate with China in a joint effort to push forward the six-party talks, Kim said.
The six parties -- the DPRK, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China -- ended their third meeting during the sixth round of talks last month in Beijing without substantial progress on how to verify the DPRK's nuclear facilities.
"There's going to be a review of our policy with regards to North Korea, but I think it's safe to say that not only this administration, but other governments, particularly those in the six-party framework, want to see a Korean Peninsula that's denuclearized," Wood said.
"One of the problems that we've had with the North Korea is trying to get this verification protocol so that we can verify all of the documents, the 18,000 pages that were submitted," he said.
"The administration, through the secretary and the president, are very interested in trying to bring about a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said Wood, adding: "the greater interest is getting rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons program."
(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2009)