Despite the United States’ unsuccessful attempts to convince North Korea to denuclearize, a new agreement has been made to prevent South Korea from building their own nuclear arsenal. In exchange for South Korea’s commitment to abide by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the United States will focus on the “nuclear” aspect of their “nuclear deterrence” strategy against North Korea. This was announced in the “Washington Declaration,” which emphasized the importance of joint exercises and strategic planning between the US and South Korea. It also establishes a US-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group to discuss potential nuclear crises. The Declaration seeks to alleviate South Koreans’ fears of nuclear weapons while sending a message to North Korea and China about their aggressive actions in the region. Although the agreement promises a more visible presence of US nuclear assets in the region, it does not involve the stationing of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. Experts believe that a larger tactical nuclear force is required to counter Chinese, Russian, and North Korean aggression.