Seoul, Washington reaffirm goal of NK denuclearization at key nuclear deterrence meeting

South Korea and the United States reaffirmed Thursday their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea at a key bilateral meeting on U.S. extended deterrence against North Korean threats. The sixth meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) took place in Seoul earlier in the day, as Pyongyang has intensified efforts to secure its status as a nuclear-armed state and vowed never to abandon its nuclear weapons program. "The two sides agreed to continue advancing the activities of the NCG in order to strengthen the alliance and extended deterrence amid North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities and a changing security environment," a joint statement issued at the end of Thursday's meeting said. "South Korea and the U.S. reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearization of North Korea," it added. Leading the NCG meeting were Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Kim Hong-cheol and Robert Soofer, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of war for nuclear deterrence and countering weapons of mass destruction. The mention of North Korea's denuclearization draws attention as China made no refWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times