SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea cannot acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear state and talks with the North on denuclearization and improving inter-Korean relations must go hand in hand, the South’s President Moon Jae-in said on Friday, cited by his spokesman.

“The two talks should go parallel with each other and President Moon stressed close cooperation between the United States and South Korea is important for that,” Yoon Young-chan told a news conference.

“President Moon also said out of all countries, South Korea has the strongest will to say it cannot acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear state.”

Moon made the comments to the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, Ivanka, who arrived in South Korea on Friday to attend the Pyeongchang Olympics closing ceremony.