President Moon Jae-in has said the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea is related to the Seoul-Washington alliance and has nothing to do with replacing the armistice that ended the Korean War with a peace treaty. 

Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a briefing on Wednesday that the president made the remarks with regard to his special adviser Moon Chung-in's claim that it will be hard to justify the presence of U.S. troops after a peace treaty is signed.

Kim added that Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok conveyed the president’s stance to special adviser Moon and called on the adviser not to cause confusion on the president’s position on the matter. 

In an article contributed to the U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs on Monday, Moon Chung-in claimed that it would be difficult to justify the continuing presence of U.S. forces in South Korea after the adoption of a peace treaty. 

A senior presidential official said the president’s remarks came during a meeting with his top aides on Wednesday. The official, however, said that the president's statement doesn't mean he will request his adviser to step down.