South Korea and the United States are discussing joint planning and implementation of U.S. nuclear operations to counter North Korea and hope to conduct a tabletop exercise soon, officials from both sides said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

The plan came amid South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's push to strengthen American extended deterrence—the U.S. military capability, especially its nuclear forces, to deter attacks on its allies—since taking office in May, in the face of evolving North Korean threats.

In a newspaper interview released on Monday, Yoon said the allies are discussing joint nuclear planning and exercises and that would help clear doubts about the extended deterrence, with its existing concept "falling short of convincing" South Koreans.

A senior U.S. administration official said both sides are looking at enhanced information sharing, joint contingency planning, and an eventual tabletop exercise following a request from their presidents after a meeting in Cambodia in November to explore ways to address North Korea's threats.

But the official noted regular nuclear exercises would be "extremely difficult" because South Korea is not a nuclear power.

The timing of the planned tabletop exercises has not been finalized, but they would take place "in the not-too-distant future" and cover scenarios including nuclear situations, the official said.

"The idea is to also try and make sure that we're able to fully think through the range of possibilities based on the DPRK capabilities which they've demonstrated, as well as their statements," the official added, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.