The office of President Moon Jae-in has reaffirmed the nation's long-term goal of phasing out nuclear power, playing down controversy that sparked after the South Korea-Hungary summit.

In a joint press conference after the summit, Hungarian President Janos Ader said South Korea and Hungary agree that carbon neutrality without the use of nuclear energy is impossible, raising questions about President Moon's nuclear phase-out policy.

Senior secretary for public communication Park Soo-hyun reiterated Thursday that South Korea will continue to seek the long-term goal of phasing out nuclear power by 2080, by reducing reliance on it and increasing renewable and hydrogen energy.

He added that the controversy is the result of a lack of understanding of the government's energy shift policy.