Anchor: The incoming U.S. administration led by President-elect Donald Trump is said to have included North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats to its list of key issues prompting close observation. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in the meantime, the outgoing Obama administration and Trump's team have been working in close cooperation on related challenges.
Mina Cha has more.

Report: The White House says North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are most certainly on the radar screen of the incoming Donald Trump administration.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in his last regular press briefing on Tuesday that the outgoing Barack Obama administration and the incoming Trump government are working closely on several pending challenges including the North Korean problems.

Earnest acknowledged that the Obama administration has not made as much progress as it anticipated to halt Pyongyang's nuclear activities that are in violation of a range of international agreements. 

However, he said that the Obama government succeeded in building "a rock-solid international consensus" about putting additional pressure on the North. He added that such efforts will be helpful for the Trump administration in dealing with the regime.

Regarding Seoul and Washington’s decision to deploy THAAD missile interceptors in South Korea, Earnest reiterated Washington’s stance that the move is purely defensive.

He added that the U.S. will continue to hold dialogue with China through diplomatic and military channels to ease Beijing’s concerns over THAAD.

Despite Seoul and Washington's repeated claim that the THAAD deployment is aimed only at responding to North Korean threats, Beijing believes that the antimissile system could be employed to monitor China.
Mina Cha, KBS World Radio News.

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