Joint press statement issued on sixth Nuclear Consultative Group meeting

The United States and the Republic of Korea held the sixth U.S.-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in Seoul on June 11, 2026, co-chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Nuclear Deterrence and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy Dr. Robert Soofer and ROK Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy Dr. Hong-Cheol Kim. Participants included defense, foreign affairs, and intelligence officials from both countries.

The two sides decided to continuously develop Nuclear Consultative Group activities to strengthen the alliance and extended deterrence in light of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile capabilities and the changing security environment. They confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea, and the United States reaffirmed its commitment to provide extended deterrence to the ROK, utilizing the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear.

Officials reviewed ongoing workstreams covering security and information sharing, consultation processes during a nuclear crisis, U.S.-ROK conventional-nuclear integration, exercises and training, strategic messaging, and risk reduction. They also discussed ways to maintain and strengthen the alliance’s nuclear deterrence and readiness posture.

Both sides assessed efforts by their military authorities to develop conventional-nuclear integration to deter and respond to the DPRK’s nuclear threats and agreed to continue that work. The co-chairs signed the U.S.-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group Security Guidelines to safeguard information required for group activities and consultation.

They agreed to report the outcomes of the Nuclear Consultative Group to the Secretary and the Minister at the 58th Security Consultative Meeting and approved tasks and key activities for the second half of 2026, including plans to convene the seventh principal-level meeting.