South Korea’s Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Tae-yong says Seoul and Washington are working to include advanced ways to respond to North Korea’s nuclear threats in their military operation plan(OPLAN).

Cho made the remark to reporters on Sunday upon arriving in Washington as he cited the North’s nuclear threats as the most urgent issue at hand.

He stressed the need to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance based on the U.S.’ extended deterrence, which he said can protect people’s lives and property.

The ambassador said crucial efforts are under way for Seoul and Washington to better respond to such North Korean threats by producing an upgraded operation plan, which is likely to emerge in this year’s joint Security Consultative Meeting.

Cho noted that during last year’s meeting, the two sides agreed to devise a new plan that would replace OPLAN 5015 to boost the response to the North’s nuclear and missile threats.