NCG statement removes all mentions of North Korea

The joint statement issued by the South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group omitted all references to North Korea. The United States recently released its National Security Strategy without mentioning denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula or North Korea, and the absence of any North Korea language in the latest NCG statement has prompted concerns that the allies’ resolve to reject a nuclear-armed North Korea may be weakening.

South Korea and the United States held the fifth NCG meeting in Washington on Nov. 11 local time. It was the first session since the fourth meeting in January last year and the first since the launch of the second Donald Trump administration and the Lee Jae-myung government. According to the Ministry of National Defense, Kim Hong-cheol, director general for national defense policy, attended as South Korea’s representative, while Robert Soofer, acting deputy assistant secretary for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs at the U.S. Department of Defense, represented the United States.

According to the joint statement, Soofer reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to provide extended deterrence to South Korea by using the full range of U.S. military capabilities, including its nuclear forces.

However, all references to North Korea that appeared in the fourth meeting’s statement were omitted this time. The previous statement included a warning that any North Korean nuclear attack would be unacceptable and would result in the end of the regime, but no such language appeared in the latest version. A military official said the omission was likely intended to avoid provoking Pyongyang, yet cautioned that blurring the NCG’s purpose and the adversary it is meant to deter could weaken the alliance’s deterrence posture.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com