The U.S. State Department has reaffirmed that a freeze in the North Korean nuclear program is not the U.S.' final goal, but rather the start of a process of denuclearization.

Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said on Tuesday during a press briefing that a nuclear freeze would never be the resolution of a process or the end of a process. 

She said the freeze would be something that the U.S. would certainly hope to see "at the beginning," adding she doesn’t believe the Trump administration has ever characterized a freeze as being an end goal. 

The remarks come after recent reports from The New York Times and others that Washington may consider settling for a nuclear freeze by North Korea.

The spokesperson also said U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun has no plans to meet with North Korean officials during his trip to Europe this week.

[Photo : KBS News]