The first negotiations between South Korea and the United States to implement security agreements reached between the two countries' leaders—covering nuclear-powered submarines and uranium enrichment and reprocessing—will be held in Seoul on the 2nd of next month. Revising or adjusting the Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement to secure nuclear fuel is seen as the biggest challenge.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 29th that South Korea and the United States will hold an inaugural meeting in Seoul on June 2-3 to discuss follow-up measures in the security field outlined in the joint fact sheet from the Korea-U.S. summit. The first meeting had initially been expected around mid-June but was moved up during the scheduling process, according to reports.
The negotiating teams plan to conduct talks in the security field, including the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, securing rights to uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, and shipbuilding cooperation, among the agreements contained in the joint fact sheet. Because revising or adjusting the Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement is necessary for South Korea to secure the nuclear fuel needed for nuclear-powered submarines, negotiations on this point are expected to face difficulties.
The government's recently announced basic plan for nuclear-powered submarines includes the use of low-enriched uranium with an enrichment level below 20%. However, under the current nuclear cooperation agreement, which applies until 2035, South Korea can enrich uranium to below 20% only with U.S. consent, and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is prohibited. The government is targeting a level similar to Japan, which, with bilateral agreement, can enrich beyond 20% and holds reprocessing rights. However, since revising the Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement requires the consent of the U.S. Congress, it is widely observed that there is a high possibility of pursuing an adjustment by adding a kind of special clause.
Generally, first meetings tend to have the character of an introductory gathering, but the South Korean government plans to move quickly into substantive negotiations from the first meeting. This is because the first meeting was delayed for more than half a year following the announcement of the joint fact sheet after the October Korea-U.S. summit last year, due to delays in passing the special law on investment in the U.S., the Coupang issue, and the Iran war. The government expects swift consultations will be possible, as discussions have steadily taken place between the two countries' working-level teams in the meantime.
On the same day, the U.S. State Department also announced the visit to South Korea of a delegation led by Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. The State Department said, "Under Secretary Hooker is visiting South Korea leading a whole-of-government delegation to advance the nuclear cooperation initiative arising from the October 2024 Korea-U.S. summit," adding that "the Korea-U.S. alliance remains a linchpin for peace and security across the Korean Peninsula and the entire Indo-Pacific region."
South Korea's whole-of-government delegation consists of Foreign Ministry First Vice Minister Park Yoon-joo and officials from the National Security Office of the presidential office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. The U.S. delegation is composed of Under Secretary Hooker and officials from the White House National Security Council (NSC), the State Department, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense (Department of War).
