Top nuke envoys of ROK, US hold phone talks over Korean Peninsula issues

SEOUL - Top nuclear envoys of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States held phone talks over issues of the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Lee Do-hoon, ROK's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, talked over phone with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun earlier in the day, the Seoul ministry said.

Lee and Biegun shared assessments on the recent peninsula situations, exchanging opinions on ways to cooperate between the two countries in making a substantive progress for the peninsula's complete denuclearization and the permanent peace settlement.

The two sides evaluated bilateral communication and consultation on the peninsula issues at each level, agreeing to continue close cooperation down the road, the Seoul ministry added.

The phone talks came a day after ROK President Moon Jae-in offered to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) resuming inter-Korean cooperation by jointly tackling the COVID-19 outbreak.

Moon made the offer on the day to mark the second anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, which was signed by Moon and top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un after their first summit in April 2018 at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.