SEOUL (REUTERS) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday (Feb 4) pledged to upgrade the country's alliance with the United States and prepare a comprehensive North Korea strategy.
In a phone call, Mr Moon and US President Joe Biden affirmed the necessity to prepare a comprehensive North Korea strategy aimed at denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said.
"President Biden appraised the efforts of South Korea, the key country involved to resolve the issue on the Korean peninsula...and said will work closely with the South towards a common goal," Mr Kang said.
The White House said in a statement that Mr Biden stressed his commitment to strengthen US-South Korea alliance and the two countries had agreed to coordinate closely on North Korea.
The call comes as Mr Moon, who had offered to be a mediator between the US and North Korea, faces the challenge of getting the stalled talks between Washington and Pyongyang back on track.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former US president Donald Trump agreed to work towards the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula at their first summit in 2018, but a second summit and subsequent working-level talks fell apart.
South Korea's Unification Minister in charge of Inter-Korean Affairs Lee In-young on Wednesday called for the US to flexibly enforce sanctions aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear programmes to revive denuclearisation talks.
In the phone call with Mr Biden, Mr Moon also welcomed what he described as "America's return" in the midst of mounting global challenges - the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and economic polarisation.
Mr Biden has said a response to climate change will create new jobs, while Mr Moon has introduced his ambitious Green New Deal aimed at economic recovery from the coronavirus fallout.
During a call in November after Mr Biden's election victory, Mr Moon vowed to promote economic relations with the US by building a carbon neutral economy.
Mr Biden and Mr Moon also agreed on the immediate need for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar, the White House said, after the country's army seized power on Monday.
