US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke by phone on Monday, and Washington's brief statement on the call, unlike Seoul's, made no mention of North Korea's nuclear issue. The omission of "the denuclearization of North Korea" raised speculation that Washington is making diplomatic room for renewed engagement with Pyongyang, the Korea Times reported. The call came as 
Donald Trump pushes for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after scaling back joint military drills with South Korea.
What did each side say? Seoul's foreign ministry said the ministers agreed to cooperate closely "for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue" but did not say whether they reaffirmed their usual commitment to denuclearisation, CNA reported, citing Yonhap. Cho told Rubio that Seoul would work to ensure Trump's recent messages to Pyongyang lead to a resumption of US-North Korea dialogue. The State Department said only that the two discussed "a range of issues in the US-ROK Alliance" and the need for close coordination.
Why did the omission draw attention? Recent US statements, including a July 22 readout of a trilateral meeting of the South Korean, US and Japanese foreign ministers, had explicitly reaffirmed the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization, the Korea Times reported. Ban Kil-joo, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said dropping the term served as "a tactical prelude to entering actual negotiations" and tied it to a possible breakthrough before the Nov. 3 US midterm elections. Trump has openly shown since June that he wants to resume talks, most recently on Monday by posting three uncaptioned photos of himself with Kim from their meetings in Panmunjeom and Singapore.
How has Seoul responded? Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon, in remarks carried by the Korea Times, said on Tuesday that Seoul consistently maintains "the goal of denuclearization" and is executing its North Korea policy in close coordination with Washington. Rep. Cho Jung-hun of the main opposition People Power Party said the absence of denuclearization from recent US readouts was "deeply concerning."
What else did the call cover? The talks came at a period of tension between the allies, CNA reported, after Trump praised nuclear-armed North Korea while saying Seoul had not helped his efforts to denuclearise Iran. The ministers agreed to seek "mutually beneficial" outcomes on tariffs, investment and security cooperation, and to meet in person in the near future.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
