Washington: The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to providing extended deterrence to South Korea during the first meeting of a key nuclear deterrence body under U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, officials reported. The meeting marked the fifth session of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) held in Washington, while the fourth NCG talks took place in January.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting was led by Kim Hong-cheol, the deputy minister for national defense policy of South Korea, and Robert Soofer, the acting deputy assistant secretary of defense in charge of nuclear deterrence, chemical, and biological policy. A joint press statement indicated that Soofer reiterated the U.S. commitment to providing extended deterrence to South Korea by utilizing the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear.
Kim emphasized that South Korea will take the "leading role" in the conventional defense of the Korean Peninsula. This was the first instance where Seoul outlined such a commitment in a joint statement after the NCG talks. The allies also reviewed the progress on NCG workstreams and recognized the NCG as a longstanding bilateral consultative body, aiming to strengthen the U.S.-ROK Alliance and enhance extended deterrence. ROK refers to the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.
The most recent NCG session was the first such gathering under Trump's second term, after a nearly one-year hiatus from the fourth meeting. This hiatus had raised uncertainties about Trump's continuation of key deterrence programs initiated during the Biden administration. The NCG was established following a summit between former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former U.S. President Joe Biden in April 2023, to bolster the credibility of the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to defend South Korea using its full military capabilities, including nuclear.
The meeting occurred as President Lee Jae Myung's administration seeks to enhance independent defense capabilities. Concurrently, the U.S. is encouraging its Asian ally to assume a more significant role in defense, aiming to modernize its enduring alliance with South Korea. Lee has pledged to increase the country's defense spending to 3.5 percent of its GDP and regain wartime operational control from Washington during his five-year term.
Interestingly, the latest NCG statement did not mention North Korea, unlike joint documents issued after the previous four sessions. A statement from the fourth NCG session included a U.S. warning that any nuclear attack by North Korea against Washington and its allies would be "unacceptable" and lead to the "end of that regime." The omission of such phrases may be an effort to support Trump's initiative to resume summit diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The joint statement noted that both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on all areas of extended deterrence, including information sharing, consultation, and communication processes, as well as "conventional-nuclear integration." However, it did not include the phrase "joint planning and execution" of nuclear strategy or the U.S. commitment to enhance the "regular visibility of U.S. strategic assets" on the Korean Peninsula.
Furthermore, the allies approved future plans and activities for the sixth NCG meeting, scheduled for the first half of 2026.