South, U.S. determine nuclear deterrence guidelines at third NCG meeting

South Korea and the United States finalized a set of guidelines for their joint nuclear deterrence posture at the third Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) session in Seoul on Monday, according to an allied statement released after the meeting.

Cho Chang-rae, South Korea's deputy defense minister for policy, shakes hands with Vipin Narang, principal U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, after signing a framework document on the Nuclear Consultative Group at the Pentagon in Washington on Feb. 12. [DEFENSE MINISTRY]

South Korea and the United States finalized a set of guidelines for their joint nuclear deterrence posture at the third Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) session in Seoul on Monday, according to an allied statement released after the meeting.

The meeting was led by Cho Chang-rae, South Korea’s deputy defense minister for policy, and Vipin Narang, principal U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, with security, defense and diplomatic officials from both sides in attendance, according to Seoul’s Defense Ministry in a press release.

The ministry said South Korean and U.S. officials “agreed that the joint guidelines provide a solid foundation to strengthen cooperation for a unified South Korean-U.S. extended deterrence [posture]” in the press release.

In his summary of the second NCG meeting held in December, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo told reporters the two sides agreed to complete the establishment of protocols on planning and implementing a joint strategy on nuclear weapons use by the middle of this year.

The NCG was established to allay South Korean concerns about lacking a formal role in the potential use of U.S. nuclear weapons amid advances in the North’s missile program.

The consultative group was created under the Washington Declaration adopted by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in Washington in April last year.

Although the body does not constitute a full nuclear weapons sharing arrangement, as pushed for by the Yoon administration before the summit, it does give South Korea the right to be consulted over how and when U.S. nuclear weapons might be used on the peninsula.

The joint group is also intended to bolster the credibility of Washington’s extended deterrence commitment in using the full range of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend Seoul and other treaty allies.

The first two NCG meetings were conducted by the South Korean and U.S. National Security Councils before the allies agreed the sessions should be led by Seoul’s Defense Ministry and the Pentagon.

The latest NCG meeting took place five days after Biden told Time magazine that the security challenge posed by North Korea is “equally as threatening as it was before.”

In an interview with CBS News that aired on Sunday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the United States is “concerned about cooperation” among North Korea, Russia, China and Iran and their “advancing nuclear arsenals,” adding that Washington will continue to consult with its allies about “the best way forward to ensure a safe, reliable and credible nuclear deterrent.”

But Sullivan declined to specify whether U.S. intelligence has seen evidence that Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are sharing nuclear technology.

In a speech to the Arms Control Association on Friday, Pranay Vaddi, special assistant to the president and senior director for arms control at the White House, said Washington may “reach a point” where it needs to deploy more nuclear weapons if Moscow and Beijing do not agree to arms limitations.

“If that day comes, it will result in a determination that more nuclear weapons are required to deter our adversaries and protect the American people and our allies and partners,” he added.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]