US, S.Korean officials huddle for new nuclear war planning talks

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that a new nuclear consultative group between South Korea and the United States would be a “starting point” to build a strong and effective deterrence against North Korea.
Officials from the United States and South Korea are meeting on Tuesday in Seoul for the first Nuclear Consultative Group discussion, aimed at better coordinating allied nuclear response in the event of a war with North Korea.
“Through a South Korea-U.S. alliance upgraded to a new nuclear-based paradigm, we will make substantial efforts to fundamentally block North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” Yoon told a briefing.
The NCG was first announced during the bilateral summit in Washington in April amid growing calls in South Korea for its own nuclear bombs, a step Washington opposes.
China and North Korea have criticised the group’s formation as further raising tensions on the Korean peninsula.