South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, right, and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, attend a joint press briefing after their annual security talks at the Pentagon, in this picture released by the Ministry of National Defense, Oct. 30. Yonhap

A shared goal for North Korea's denuclearization was not mentioned in a joint statement issued after an annual meeting of the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States for the first time in nine years, raising questions over a possible shift in policy focus.

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, issued the joint communique of the 56th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington on Wednesday (local time), vowing for continued coordination against Pyongyang's nuclear threats.

This year's statement, however, did not spell out the allies' joint goal of achieving denuclearization of North Korea or the Korean Peninsula for the first time after the phrase was included in their annual SCM meetings from 2016 to 2023.

"To achieve the complete denuclearization of the DPRK, the two sides pledged to continue coordinating on efforts to deter DPRK's nuclear threat with the Alliance's overwhelming strength," last year's statement read, referring to the North by the acronym of its official name — Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

In comparison, a similar passage in this year's statement made no mention of denuclearization.

"The two sides pledged to continue coordinating efforts to deter DPRK's nuclear threat with the Alliance's overwhelming strength, while continuing to pursue efforts through sanctions and pressure to dissuade and delay DPRK's nuclear development," it said.

When asked about the absence of the term in this week's statement, defense ministry spokesperson Col. Lee Kyung-ho said the allies maintain their joint goal of North Korea's "complete denuclearization."

But the absence has still raised questions over a possible shift in policy focus as the allies have appeared to prioritize efforts to bolster deterrence in the face of North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

Pyongyang has shown no signs of giving up efforts to develop its nuclear and missile programs or interest in denuclearization talks, making prospects of the North's denuclearization increasingly bleak.

The omission of the term came after some U.S. officials earlier this year raised the need for "interim steps" for North Korea's ultimate denuclearization.

Mira Rapp-Hooper, the National Security Council senior director for East Asia and Oceania, said in a March forum that the U.S. will consider interim steps on the pathway toward the North's denuclearization.

The U.S. Democratic Party and the Republican Party have also both omitted references to North Korea's denuclearization in their policy platforms ahead of next week's U.S. presidential election.

Some observers said the moves seem to point to skepticism regarding the goal, despite Seoul and Washington's assurance that they remain unchanged in their commitment to denuclearizing the North. (Yonhap)