WASHINGTON (Yonhap) — U.S. troops in South Korea will stay as long as they are needed to defend the country, and the security situation has not changed there, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said June 19.
Washington expects Pyongyang to suspend all missile tests while talks are under way to improve bilateral relations.
It is the understanding and expectation of the United States that Pyongyang will refrain from long-range missile tests while the two sides are negotiating bettering bilateral relations, he said.
In a news conference following a partial lifting of U.S. economic sanctions on North Korea, Boucher said Pyongyang��s implementation, not verbal promises, will decide further U.S. action.
On the status of the U.S. military in South Korea, Boucher said the issue is entirely up to Washington and Seoul to resolve.
American troops will stay as long as necessary as they are required to defend South Korea, and at this point, the situation basically has not changed, he said.
North Korea over the weekend said U.S. military presence in South Korea is causing tension and heightening the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula.