SEOUL/WASHINGTON: The inaugural meeting of South Korea and the United States’ new Nuclear Consultative Group will take place later this month in Seoul, Seoul’s presidential office announced Saturday.
The meeting will be co-chaired by South Korea’s Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo and Kurt Campbell, US National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs.
The meeting will “discuss information sharing, consultation mechanisms, and joint planning and execution designed to bolster nuclear deterrence against North Korea,” according to a press release issued by the presidential office.
During their April bilateral summit in Washington, President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden decided to establish the new NCG. The group is intended to reaffirm the United States extended deterrence supplied to South Korea, which alludes to the United States’ commitment to defending its partner with all of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons.
According to officials in Seoul , the allies had planned to appoint deputy minister-level officials to lead the talks but agreed to lift the rank of the chief delegate to the vice minister-level for the first session. According to United States officials, the Group will allow Seoul to participate for the first time in how the United States plans and executes its nuclear deterrence against North Korean threats.
The inaugural meeting of the NCG, according to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, will be an “important meeting.” He said at a White House press briefing on Friday (US time) that they are serious about moving forward with this effort.
