U.S. remains committed to denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: State Department

The U.S. State Department reiterated Tuesday that Washington' s policy objective is to obtain a verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"Nothing has changed about our policy with respect to the North (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and that we want to continue to see a verifiable denuclearization of the peninsula," State Department spokesperson John Kirby told a regular press briefing.

Kirby' s remarks came after comments on Tuesday by U.S. National Intelligence director James Clapper that getting the DPRK to give up its nuclear weapons "is probably a lost cause."

"I think the notion of getting the North Koreans (DPRK) to denuclearize is probably a lost cause," Clapper said at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, adding that the best hope is a cap on the country's nuclear capability.

At Tuesday's briefing, Kirby also called on the DPRK to stop its "provocative activities" and return to the six-party talks.

"We want to see a return to the six-party talk process, and that means we need to see the North (DPRK) show a willingness and an ability to return to that process which they haven't done yet," Kirby said.

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