The presidential office says South Korea and the United States will continue close communication and coordination on North Korea policy, including future talks between Washington and Pyongyang. 

The top office conveyed the position Tuesday after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, made it clear that negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea are out of the question if their aim is to denuclearize the North. 

The presidential office said Seoul and Washington have consistently expressed their openness to dialogue with North Korea for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

It added that the government will steadfastly pursue efforts to restore trust between the two Koreas in a peaceful atmosphere and create conditions conducive to the resumption of talks between North Korea and the U.S. 

In a statement carried by the North’s Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong conceded that the personal relationship between her brother and the U.S. president is “not bad,” but reaffirmed the North’s long-standing stance against denuclearization talks with the U.S. 

She added that if Washington intends to use the relationship between the two leaders as a way to end the North’s nuclear weapons program, its efforts will be met with mockery.