A former national security adviser says that a reduction in U.S. troops stationed in South Korea may be inevitable for North Korea's denuclearization.

In an interview with the U.S. magazine, The Atlantic, Chun Yung-woo, a top aide to former President Lee Myung-bak, said that "there will be no solution" to the North Korean nuclear crisis without willingness to compromise on the U.S. alliance.

The Atlantic described his remarks as a "striking challenge" to his fellow conservatives ahead of nuclear talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In the interview, Chun said that if Seoul can make a deal with the U.S. on the basis of partial withdrawal, or in other words a drawdown of U.S. troops, that is something that should be discussed seriously.

Chun also said of his own remarks that all Korean conservatives will try to "crucify" him.

Chun now serves as chairman of the Korean Peninsula Future Forum which he founded. 

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