1. The Republic of Korea and the United States held the second meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) in Washington on January 17, bringing together high-level foreign and defense affairs (2+2) officials of the two countries,

2. The EDSCG meeting came pursuant to the agreement, reached by President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump at their summit talks in June 2017, to hold the meeting on a regular basis. The ROK and US governments were represented by Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk; and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy David Trachtenberg, respectively.

3. In the meeting, the US side reaffirmed the firm commitment to the defense of the ROK using the full range of military capabilities. The two countries agreed to continue deploying US strategic assets in the ROK and its surrounding region on a rotational basis as long as North Korean nuclear and missile threats persist.

4. The two sides also consulted closely with each other on the inter-Korean talks and other recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, and agreed to continue close bilateral coordination.

5. The two countries, who share the goal of a diplomatic and peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue through steadfast deterrence against North Korea, appreciated the value of the EDSCG as a high-level consultative mechanism to that end, and agreed to step up bilateral cooperation on extended deterrence.

* unofficial translation