WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States denied on Thursday that there is a rift with South Korea over the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) despite contradictory remarks from the two sides on the thorny issue.

    "There is no rift between the United States and South Korea. We are close allies. We are close partners in a broad bilateral relationship and particularly in our common approach to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a briefing.

    The United States has insisted that the DPRK should dismantle all its nuclear programs, including the civilian use of nuclear power. However, South Korea said that the DPRK has the right for such a capability.

    "Our position is that North Korea has a general right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, for agricultural, medical and power-generating purposes," South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young Chung said in an interview in Seoul.

    During the fourth round of six-party talks in Beijing, the DPRK insisted on its right to retain a light water nuclear reactor in any final agreement with the United States.

    The fourth round of the six-party talks, which lasted for 13 days in Beijing, went into recess on Sunday. All parties have agreed to resume the talks in the week of Aug. 29. Enditem