South Korea and the United States will conduct a tabletop exercise next week as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen their joint deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear threats.

According to Seoul’s defense ministry, the allies’ fourth Nuclear Consultative Group(NCG) meeting and the first NCG tabletop exercise will take place in Washington from December 4 to 5.

The meeting and the exercise will be jointly led by Cho Chang-rae, deputy defense minister for policy, and Cara Abercrombie, the U.S. acting deputy under secretary of defense for policy.

The ministry said the exercise will enable deeper, more collaborative policy coordination between the allies on nuclear and strategic planning in the event of a crisis or other contingency on the Korean Peninsula.

The NCG, established under the Washington Declaration adopted in April 2023, is a consultative body that allows Seoul to provide input regarding Washington’s use of its nuclear assets.

The upcoming meeting will be the last under the outgoing Joe Biden administration.