(LEAD) U.S. official says 'no change' in U.S. policy toward N. Korea amid denuclearization concerns

A U.S. official confirmed on Wednesday that there has been no change in the United States' policy towards North Korea, despite mounting doubts about President Donald Trump's administration's commitment to denuclearization. The official's statement came in response to inquiries from Yonhap News Agency regarding whether the Trump administration's objective remains the complete denuclearization of the North, as previously declared.

Earlier this week, Trump avoided answering a reporter's question about whether his aim in re-engaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is denuclearization. This response has sparked concerns that Washington might shift its policy focus towards goals that are less ambitious than denuclearization, such as arms control and tension reduction.

As Trump prepares to meet with Kim Jong-un later this week, questions have arisen about whether he would lower the bar for diplomacy with Pyongyang, a time when the North Korean regime has insisted on maintaining its nuclear status as "irreversible" and vowed not to trade away its nuclear program. The U.S. president's seemingly conciliatory gestures towards the North, including the recent reduction of a joint military exercise with South Korea, have further fueled speculation about a possible shift away from denuclearization as the primary objective of U.S.-North Korea relations.

Seoul's foreign ministry reaffirmed on Tuesday that the two allies are steadfastly committed to the denuclearization goal on the Korean Peninsula.