On February 14, 2024, the ROK’s Ministry of National Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense announced that both entered a new phase of discussions on strengthening extended deterrence against North Korea by signing the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) framework document at the Pentagon. The NCG, initiated by the Washington Declaration between President Yoon Suk Yeol and President Joe Biden in April 2023, has been rapidly evolving into a comprehensive interagency mechanism for integrated extended deterrence.