U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Monday that it is "too early" to move toward the declaration of a formal end to the Korean War.

He made the remark during a question-and-answer session that followed a lecture he gave about the South Korea-U.S. alliance held at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul.

When asked about the prospects of formally ending the war, Harris said "it's in the early days."

The ambassador said U.S. President Donald Trump has confidence that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will abide by the pledges he made in Singapore, adding the North's implementation of the agreements is the new starting point from which the two sides are going forward.

He stressed that as President Moon Jae-in has said, improvement in inter-Korean relations must go side by side with denuclearization. 

The ambassador took a similar stance on the issue of the war-ending declaration during a press conference held early this month.

During his lecture, Harris reiterated the call for the North Korean leader to fulfill his denuclearization commitments made during his summit meetings with Moon and Trump.

[Photo : YONHAP News]