The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to providing extended deterrence to South Korea during its first meeting of a key nuclear deterrence body with the South under U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, officials said Friday.
The allies held the fifth meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in Washington on Thursday, according to Seoul's defense ministry.
This week's meeting was led by Kim Hong-cheol, the deputy minister for national defense policy, and Robert Soofer, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense in charge of nuclear deterrence, chemical and biological policy.
According to a joint press statement, Soofer reiterated the U.S. commitment to provide extended deterrence to South Korea, utilizing the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear.
Kim stressed that South Korea will assume the "leading role" in the conventional defense of the Korean Peninsula.
