NCG Likely to Be Held Next Month... Outline of Korea-US Delegations

The US and South Korean representatives for the ‘Nuclear Consultative Group’ (NCG), expected to be held in early next month, are likely to be Heo Tae-geun, Director of Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, and John Plum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. The NCG is an extended deterrence consultative body newly established by the two leaders at last month’s US-ROK summit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The NCG is the first high-level permanent consultative body specialized in nuclear-related discussions between the US and South Korea, holding regular meetings four times a year, with deputy assistant secretary-level officials from both countries serving as representatives.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) cited a US Department of Defense official on the 25th, stating that, based on personal opinion, Deputy Assistant Secretary Plum has been representing the US side on nuclear issues, and it is expected that John Plum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, will be the US representative rather than Ely Ratner, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs.

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy Robert Suple also cited the fact that Bipan Narang, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Space Policy who works with Deputy Assistant Secretary Plum, is consulting with member countries on nuclear operations within the high-level group under the Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) of NATO as a basis for this expectation.

The US delegation to the ‘Nuclear Consultative Group’ is expected to include Deputy Assistant Secretary Plum, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Narang, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Richard Johnson, Deputy Director for Strategy at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Austin Long, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Alexandra Bell.

Once the NCG is operational, the US and South Korea are expected to jointly assess and share information on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and discuss plans for the planning and execution related to the operation of US nuclear assets.

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