"The Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance with North Korea and made contradictory statements that have rattled the international community — I wanted to get a sense for how that is being received with our key ally, South Korea," Durbin said.
The senator representing the US state of Illinois recently met with newly elected President Moon Jae-in and other senior officials during a visit to Seoul.
"The generations old conflict between the North and South is incredibly complex, and as I told President Moon, the United States shares his goal of preventing a nuclear-armed North Korea. I want to ensure that this critical objective is not being used to distract from the scandals threatening to swamp the Trump administration’s agenda. The stakes are too high for America and for our friends in South Korea and the region," Durbin stated.
Tensions between the United States and North Korea have increased after the United States deployed naval assets and missile defense systems in the region in response to Pyongyang’s conducting ballistic missile and nuclear tests.