South Korea will be sending a team of presidential envoys to Pyongyang next Wednesday to discuss a range of issues, including the upcoming inter-Korean summit.<br />And we now have Washington's response to that.<br />A spokesperson at the U.S. State Department says progress on inter-Korean relations must happen in lockstep with denuclearization,... reaffirming Washington's stance that the mending of Seoul-Pyongyang ties should not be separate from denuclearization efforts.<br />The official said diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea must be maintained to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of the regime. <br />