US troop withdrawal not linked to treaty: South

• Moon asks UN to verify closure of North's test site

• Trump pleased by Moon's suggestion he should get the Nobel Peace Prize

South Korean President Moon Jae-in yesterday dismissed claims that US troops stationed in the country would have to leave if a peace treaty was signed with the North.

Seoul and Pyongyang have remained technically at war since the 1950s but Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed at a landmark summit last week to work towards a permanent treaty to replace a 65-year-old armistice agreement.

"US Forces Korea (USFK) is a matter of the South Korea-US alliance. It has nothing to do with signing a peace treaty," Moon said, referring to the agreement that sees 28,500 US forces based in the South.

Moon's comments came after a presidential adviser publicly suggested the presence of US soldiers, sailors and airmen would be called into question if a peace treaty were to be agreed with Pyongyang.

The Blue House has warned the adviser "not to cause any more confusion," with such comments. The rebuttal came as Seoul's defence ministry confirmed that several US fighter jets had arrived in the country to take part in a regular joint exercises.

Moon asked the UN to verify the planned closure of North Korea's nuclear test site, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump seemed pleased Tuesday by a suggestion he should get the Nobel Peace Prize for his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, promising that a time and place for the historic meeting will soon be announced.

"Nobel Peace Prize? I think President Moon was very nice when he suggested it," Trump said, referring to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.