and president lee in, fact asked his team to come to washington to continue these discussions. so i appreciate all of the efforts he's making on this issue. to advance our share of security, president lee and i discussed our ongoing efforts to strengthen and modernize our alliance. and i said it, we can never say it never -- again, the united states can never waiver to its commitment to the republic of korea. north korea must address south korea's concerns and end it's behavior. likewise, north korea needs to fulfill obligations to eliminate its nuclear weapons program. only by meeting its responsibilities and not threatening others will north korea find real security and respect. i want to reiterate along with our south korean and international partners the