Seoul and Washington's new working group on North Korea officially launched on Tuesday.
And U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.... the working group is to make sure that the two allies share everything necessary for denuclearizing North Korea and ensuring lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Lee Ji-won starts us off. The newly established South Korea-U.S. working group on North Korean affairs held its first meeting in Washington on Tuesday.

Seoul's Foreign Affairs Ministry and the U.S. State Department both released a statement saying that the working group reaffirmed the importance of their alliance in achieving regional peace and security and further strengthened their coordination on efforts to fully denuclearize North Korea.

The statements say the group, led by South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon and Washington's Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, also discussed achieving lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions and inter-Korean cooperation.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the working group will formalize the processes of denuclearization and inter-Korean efforts.
Though Pompeo said that there is complete agreement between Seoul and Washington on how such efforts will proceed, he mentioned that the group will make sure neither side takes actions that the other is unaware of or hasn't had a chance to comment on.
In fact, he specifically mentioned South Korea, saying that the group is to ensure (quote) "the South Koreans don't take an action that the other is unaware of."
There is a view that the inter-Korean projects including the rail and road links are much more developed than the denuclearization talks, leading to concerns by Washington over the joint efforts to continue sanctions on the regime.

Pompeo reiterated that the U.S. wants to ensure denuclearization and the peace process don't lag behind the increased inter-Korean exchanges.
The Secretary said the two should progress in tandem, and that the working group is designed to keep it that way.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.