The foreign ministry says South Korea and the U.S. will strive toward thorough capacity and readiness to effectively deter and respond to any type of North Korean nuclear threat.  

A ministry official made the remark to reporters on Thursday with regard to an international media report that U.S. President Joe Biden approved a new nuclear strategy that reflects signs that Pyongyang and Beijing are shoring up their nuclear arsenal.

The official said Seoul and Washington are contributing to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding regions by continuously strengthening their capacity to execute nuclear deterrence, centered around their Nuclear Consultative Group, to tackle the North’s advancing nuclear and missile threats.

The official, however, did not respond to questions on how the new U.S. strategy will be applied in Seoul and Washington’s response to the North’s nuclear threats. 

The official’s remarks come after the New York Times reported earlier on Tuesday that “Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan for the United States that, for the first time, reorients America’s deterrent strategy to focus on China’s rapid expansion in its nuclear arsenal.”

The report said the revised strategy, called the “Nuclear Employment Guidance,” also aims to prepare the U.S. for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from North Korea, China and Russia.