The presidential office has expressed hope that North Korea and the United States will soon resume working-level negotiations and make substantial progress towards the North's denuclearization and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. 

A senior top office official issued the position on Sunday when asked to comment on a decision by the defense chiefs of South Korea and the U.S. to postpone joint air exercises this month.

The official told reporters that the allies have been closely consulting to help sustain momentum for dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang and to foster substantial progress in the North's denuclearization. 

The official said that the final goal is to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish peace in the region, adding the top office is closely watching the situation as things are in motion towards reaching these goals. 

Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his U.S. counterpart Mark Esper held talks in Thailand and announced a decision to postpone combined air exercises to promote diplomacy.