WASHINGTON - A senior US official reaffirmed Tuesday "strong security commitment" to the Republic of Korea and pledged continued "close" coordination in efforts toward the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

In talks with visiting ROK's First Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun at the State Department, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns also emphasized that "we will continue to coordinate closely in our efforts toward the denuclearization" of the peninsula, the department said in a readout of the meeting.

The pair also exchanged views on recent developments in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, it added.