SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea and the United States are set to hold discussions in Seoul on Monday, focusing on improving their coordinated nuclear response during a potential conflict with North Korea. This third meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) follows a previous summit where the US promised South Korea greater insight into its nuclear planning for such a conflict.
The talks come amid growing concerns over North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal and delivery systems, raising questions in South Korea about the reliability of the “extended deterrence” provided by the American nuclear umbrella. Some South Korean politicians, including senior members of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s party, have even called for the development of South Korea’s own nuclear weapons, a move opposed by Washington.
North Korea’s recent failed attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite, which ended in a rocket engine explosion, was condemned by both Seoul and Washington as a violation of U.N. Security Council sanctions. The upcoming talks will be led by Cho Chang-rae, South Korea’s deputy defence minister for policy, and Vipin Narang, acting U.S. assistant secretary of defence for space policy.
During their last meeting in December, both countries warned that any nuclear attack by North Korea would elicit a “swift, overwhelming and decisive response” and potentially end Kim Jong Un’s regime. This stance was reaffirmed last week when South Korea’s Defence Minister Shin Won-sik and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, emphasizing their commitment to North Korea’s complete denuclearization and the strengthening of U.S. extended deterrence.
