First deputy director of the National Security Office(NSO), Kim Tae-hyo, says South Korea and the U.S. will get to have an integrated extended deterrence system in which both countries decide and act together through the Nuclear Consultative Group(NCG). 

Kim made the remark in a news conference held in Seoul on Tuesday following the inaugural session of the NCG which was also led by Kurt Campbell, coordinator for the Indo-Pacific for the U.S. National Security Council(NSC), and Cara Abercrombie, NSC coordinator for defense policy and arms control. 

Kim said that the South Korea-U.S. alliance has been upgraded to a new nuclear-based paradigm through the Washington Declaration adopted during the South Korea-U.S. summit in April. 

He also said that the U.S. demonstrated determination to take immediate, overwhelming and decisive measures, together with South Korea, in the event North Korea lodges a nuclear attack against the South, adding that the U.S. cited that such measures would lead to the demise of the North Korean regime. Kim said South Korea, on its part, made clear that it fully trusts the U.S.’ commitment toward extended deterrence. 

The top negotiator said Seoul and Washington agreed to make their nuclear strategies more concrete while expanding intelligence sharing on nuclear and conventional weapons capacities in addition to providing systems and procedures to enable their leaders to reach agreements during any nuclear crisis. 

Campbell, on his part, said Washington will consider all measures to fully utilize its nuclear deterrence, calling the deterrence a clear asset that the U.S. trusts and is confident about.