6th U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group Meeting Confirms Commitment to Deterrence

The U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) announced that it has reaffirmed its commitment to provide extended deterrence to South Korea using all U.S. capabilities, including nuclear options.

In a joint press statement issued on June 11, the Defense Ministry stated, "The U.S. and South Korea confirmed their shared goal of North Korean denuclearization."

The two nations also discussed the enhancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities, the evolving security environment, and reviewed tasks related to security and information sharing, consultation procedures during nuclear crises, Conventional-Nuclear Integration (CNI), and joint exercises and training.

To ensure information security for NCG activities and discussions, the 'U.S.-South Korea NCG Security Guidelines' were established.

The sixth NCG meeting was co-chaired by Kim Hong-cheol, Director of Defense Policy at the South Korean Defense Ministry, and Robert Super, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence and WMD Policy. Representatives from both countries' defense, diplomatic, and intelligence sectors attended the meeting.

The representatives agreed to report the NCG outcomes to the 58th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and approved the tasks and key activities for the second half of 2026, including plans for the seventh NCG plenary meeting.