S. Korea, U.S. to hold key strategic meeting on N.K. nuclear deterrence this week

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will hold a meeting of their key nuclear deterrence body this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, as North Korea continues efforts to advance its nuclear and weapons programs.

The sixth meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) will take place in Seoul on Thursday, led by Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Kim Hong-cheol and Robert Soofer, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of war for nuclear deterrence and countering weapons of mass destruction, the ministry said in a release.

The meeting, the second of its kind to be held since both countries had new leaders, comes at a time when Pyongyang has affirmed its "irreversible" status as a nuclear-armed state and the intent to continue to advance its nuclear capabilities.

"The two sides will discuss various ways to maintain and strengthen the allies' nuclear deterrence and readiness posture," the ministry said in a release.

This photo, provided by Seoul's defense ministry on Dec. 12, 2025, shows South Korean and U.S. participants attending the fifth meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group in Washington on Dec. 11. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The NCG was launched in July 2023 under the Washington Declaration adopted by the leaders of the two countries as a platform to enhance the credibility of U.S. commitment to extended deterrence for South Korea against the North's nuclear threats.

Extended deterrence refers to a U.S. pledge to use its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

In the fifth NCG meeting held in Washington in December last year, the first such gathering under U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to providing extended deterrence to South Korea. There were doubts over whether Trump would inherit key deterrence programs created under the Biden administration.

The NCG has allowed Seoul to get involved in Washington's nuclear and strategic planning for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula and enabled joint planning and execution for Seoul to support U.S. nuclear missions with its conventional capabilities.

It has also established scenario-based table-top exercise and simulation of the same kind for nuclear contingencies.

Another key part of U.S. commitment under the NCG has been about increasing the "visibility" of its strategic assets on and around the Korean Peninsula to bolster deterrence against Pyongyang.

Under the NCG, the allies have also worked to strengthen information-sharing, including through joint military and intelligence th