Mattis: Olympic talks should not distract from denuclearization

Mattis: Olympic talks should not distract from denuclearization. January. 29, 2018 08:32. by Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com.

“As two peace-loving nations, the Republic of Korea and America welcome the Olympic Games talks between the ROK and DPRK while at the same time remaining steadfast with the international economic pressure campaign to denuclearize the Korean peninsula,” said U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis during a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart, National Minister Defense Song Young-moo, on Friday (local time) at U.S. Pacific Command’s headquarters in Honolulu.

“We do not lose sight of the fact that the Olympics talks alone do not address over-arching problems,“ said Mattis. "Diplomacy should repose reason on Kim's reckless rhetoric and dangerous provocations." His remarks are interpreted as a measure to prevent high-level sanctions against North Korean nuclear programs from loosening up due to the PyeongChang Olympics.

Two defense ministers announced in a joint statement that any attempt to harm the KORUS alliance will fail. This means that both countries are paying a close attention to North Korea’s disguised peace propaganda, which is to achieve its goal of suspending the South Korea-U.S. joint military drills.