U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper reaffirmed that the U.S. administration remains committed to the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization"(CVID) of North Korea.

In a speech for a think tank in Hawaii on Wednesday, Esper said that the U.S. policy on North Korea remains unchanged, adding CVID of the North is the U.S. goal and policy.  

The Pentagon chief used the expression CVID in a recent statement as well after talks with his Japanese and Australian counterparts on July 7.

In the joint statement, the defense chiefs urged North Korea to take clear steps to achieve the "complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs of all ranges." 

The U.S. had avoided the term CVID and instead used "final, fully verified denuclearization"(FFVD) in light of Pyongyang's aggressive denunciation of the term, especially following the 2018 summit in Singapore.

[Photo : YONHAP News]