The South Korean ambassador to the United States says the U.S. supports an inter-Korean summit.

Ambassador Han Duck-soo said in a news conference in Seoul Thursday that the U.S. is not concerned about a possible inter-Korean summit since it would be aimed at resolving pending issues between Seoul and Pyongyang.

Han added that it's natural for South Korea and the United States to have consultations ahead of a possible South-North summit because most inter-Korean issues are related to important affairs between South Korea and the U.S.

On the Korea-US FTA, Han said the U.S. appeared to have decided that the FTA is necessary after U.S. President Barack Obama visited Korea in November. However, Han said the timing of the ratification was unclear in light of the overall political climate in the U.S.