U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the need to advance the security of allies and partners surrounding North Korea, before a formal ending of the Korean War can be considered.

At a House Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday,  Rep. Andy Kim asked Blinken to clarify his position on the suggestion the Moon Jae-in administration of South Korea made.

[Sound bite: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken]
"Well, first and foremost, we have to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to advance the security of our allies and partners, starting with South Korea as well as Japan; working toward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula; and of course, making sure that our own security equities are taken into account. So, when it comes to anything of that nature, that significant, that dramatic, of course, the first thing we would need to do is to make an assessment of our own judgment whether that could advance all the things I just talked about." 

Blinken then added that the administration is currently reviewing policy and its approach to North Korea in order to make sure they have the best possible tools to advance denuclearization.