A U.S. White House official said there has been no change in the existing policy goal of "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," but said that there may be "interim steps" in the process.

Mira Rapp-Hooper, the senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council(NSC) on Monday, made the remarks when asked about progress made to denuclearize North Korea, during a JoongAng Ilbo-Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS) forum.

Rapp-Hooper said that while "interim steps" will be needed to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, the measures would be beneficial to stability in the region and around the world.

She stressed that the U.S. is ready and willing to hold talks with the North to reduce tensions, especially in light of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula.

She added that while it will take time to achieve such progress, it’s important to return to the path of reducing the threat posed by Pyongyang's unstable behavior and ultimately eliminate the threat permanently.