Trump's nominee for ambassador to South Korea says nuclear threat from North Korea remains

Harry Harris, President Trump's nominee for ambassador to South Korea, said during a Senate hearing today the nuclear threat stemming from North Korea remains a danger, despite Trump's statements to the contrary.

"I think we must continue to worry about the nuclear threat," Harris told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

On Wednesday, however, Trump tweeted that after his meeting with leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore North Korea was "no longer" a nuclear threat.

But Harris, a former Navy admiral who advocated continuing joint military exercises with South Korea when he was chief of U.S. Pacific Command last year, said he supports the president's decision to cancel upcoming exercises because the region is "in a dramatically different place" following Trump's meeting with Kim.

"We should give major exercises a pause to see if Kim Jong Un is serious," Harris said.

The Pentagon has yet to release a statement about its plans for the next joint military exercise with South Korea, which is scheduled for August.