Denuclearization of North Korea is imperative, South Korea said Tuesday after President Donald Trump described the reclusive regime as a “nuclear power.”

The U.S. Pacific Air Forces told Newsweek that the RC-135 spy planes were conducting planned, routine operations.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday the denuclearisation of North Korea must continue to be the goal necessary for lasting global peace, after reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had called Pyongyang "a nuclear power."

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Tuesday morning. The launch is the second of the year for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which last did a missile test on Jan. 6, when Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul, South Korea . Tuesday’s rocket launch was first reported by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

South Korea rebuked President Trump’s remarks calling North Korea a “nuclear power,” raising concern about the relationship between the two countries. “North Korea’s denuclearization remains a consistent principle upheld by the international community,

The foreign ministry said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's reference to North Korea as a "nuclear power" aligns with his previous approach on the recalcitrant regime, suggesting that it should not be seen as his administration recognizing it as a nuclear-armed state.