Seoul says South Korea and US close relation remain strong

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Monday, and Seoul said they agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.



The U.S. State Department issued only a brief statement on the phone call, which comes at a period of tension between the allies.



US President Donald Trump recently announced a scaling back of joint military exercises and praised nuclear-armed North Korea, while saying that Seoul had not helped his efforts to try to denuclearize Iran.



The State Department said Rubio and Cho discussed "a range of issues in the U.S.-ROK Alliance," referring to South Korea by the initials of its official name, the Republic of Korea.



"The Secretary noted the need for the two countries to remain in close coordination on matters that are integral to the Alliance," it added.



Yonhap said that in a statement on their talks, South Korea's Foreign Ministry did not mention whether the diplomats reaffirmed their usual commitment to North Korea's denuclearization, despite their emphasis on the importance of cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue.