▲ South Korea's Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo (L) speaks during a joint news conference on the outcomes of the inaugural session of the Nuclear Consultative Group between South Korea and the United States at the presidential office in Seoul on July 18, 2023. White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell (2nd from L) and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Cara Abercrombie were also on hand. (Yonhap)
▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell shake hands during the inaugural session of the Nuclear Consultative Group at the presidential office in Seoul on July 18, 2023, in this photo provided by the office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) S Korea-US-nuclear group

(LEAD) U.S. nuclear-capable submarine making port call in Busan for first time in decades: Campbell

(ATTN: CORRECTS to say nuclear-capable submarine; UPDATES with more remarks from press briefing, joint statement; ADDS photo)

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. nuclear-capable submarine is currently making a port call in Busan for the first time in decades to demonstrate the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to South Korea, a White House official said Tuesday.

U.S. National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell made the remark to reporters at the presidential office after co-chairing the inaugural session of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) agreed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in April.

"As we speak an American nuclear submarine is making port in Busan today. It's the first visit of an American nuclear submarine in decades," Campbell said.

The last time a U.S. ballistic missile submarine visited South Korea is known to have been in March 1981, when the USS Robert E. Lee made a port call.

The nuclear submarine headed to the southeastern city is the USS Kentucky, a U.S. Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, the defense ministry later said in a press release announcing its arrival.

The visit followed a U.S. pledge to send a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine to South Korea in the Washington Declaration adopted by Yoon and Biden during their summit in Washington in April to further enhance the "regular visibility" of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.

A North Korean defense ministry spokesperson denounced the plan last week, warning it "may incite the worst crisis of nuclear conflict in practice."

The NCG was established under the Washington Declaration to discuss ways to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to defending South Korea with all of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, amid calls in South Korea for its own nuclear armament to counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

The notion of South Korea's own nuclear armament has been rejected by the U.S.

The NCG's stated objective is to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning and manage the threat to the nonproliferation regime posed by North Korea, with the involvement of senior national security and defense officials from both sides.

The first session was led by Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, Campbell and NSC Coordinator for Defense Policy and Arms Control Cara Abercrombie.

"The U.S. side showed resolve that in the event North Korea carries out a nuclear attack against the Republic of Korea, it will take swift, overwhelming and decisive response measures together and that this will lead to the end of the North Korean regime," Kim said during the same press briefing. "We made clear that we have full confidence in this U.S. extended deterrence commitment."

A joint press release on the meeting said the two sides agreed the NCG will play an integral role in discussing and advancing bilateral approaches and guidelines to nuclear and strategic planning and responses to North Korean aggression.

"To that end, both sides established a range of workstreams to bolster nuclear deterrence and response capabilities on the Korean Peninsula, including the development of security and information sharing protocols; nuclear consultation and communication processes in crises and contingencies; as well as coordination and development of relevant planning, operations, exercises, simulations, trainings, and investment activities," the statement said.

"In particular, the U.S. and ROK discussed joint planning and execution of ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations as well as how to enhance visibility of U.S. strategic asset deployments around the Korean Peninsula," it said, using the acronym of South Korea's formal name, the Republic of Korea.

The release said both sides committed to promptly executing the workstreams and other efforts within the NCG and to report progress to their respective presidents in the coming months.

The group will be held quarterly at appropriate levels, with the next principal-level meeting set to be held in the U.S. later this year, it said.

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