South Korea-U.S. Security Talks Continue for Second Day... Focus on Securing Uranium Enrichment and Reprocessing Authority

Yoonjoo Park, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (left), and Alison Hooker, U.S. Department of State Under Secretary for Political Affairs. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

South Korea and the United States are continuing security consultations for the second consecutive day as a follow-up to the Joint Fact Sheet released after the summit, with a particular focus on nuclear cooperation and issues related to nuclear-powered submarines.

On June 3, the U.S. delegation arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul and began the second day of talks with representatives from the South Korean government. On this day, U.S. officials declined to answer reporters' questions regarding whether South Korea's introduction of nuclear-powered submarines is aimed at countering China, the possibility of amending the South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement, and the schedule for upcoming meetings.

The U.S. delegation arrived in South Korea on June 1, and on June 2, the inaugural meeting was held under the leadership of Yoonjoo Park, First Vice Foreign Minister, and Allison Hooker, U.S. Department of State Under Secretary for Political Affairs.

Following the vice-ministerial meeting, working-level consultations were led by Hyunwoo Cho, Blue House Secretary for Security Strategy, and Ivan Kanapathy, Senior Director for Asia at the U.S. National Security Council (NSC).

The meeting on June 3 is also expected to be centered on officials from both countries’ national security offices, who will discuss key details.

During the first day of talks held the previous day, the issue of South Korea’s introduction of nuclear-powered submarines was a central topic. In particular, discussions reportedly focused on cooperation measures related to the supply of nuclear fuel required for operating nuclear submarines. On the second day, the right to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel—issues directly linked to the civilian and commercial use of nuclear energy—have emerged as major points of contention.

Currently, the two countries are in discussions over the possibility of revising the South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement, which remains valid until 2035. The South Korean government is seeking broader authority regarding uranium enrichment and reprocessing, and it is expected that the two sides will discuss whether any amendments will be partial or a comprehensive overhaul of the agreement.

The current agreement stipulates that uranium can be enriched to less than 20 percent if both countries agree in writing. However, in practice, prior consent from the United States is required, leading the South Korean government to hope for more autonomous and comprehensive authority.

The two sides are also expected to discuss the roadmap for future talks, including plans for a second round of meetings and the overall negotiation schedule.

The government is reportedly aiming to advance discussions as much as possible while the momentum generated by the launch of the second Trump administration is maintained. In particular, there is a possibility that the two sides will continue consultations to produce a certain level of concrete results before the U.S. midterm elections in November.

Meanwhile, after the inaugural meeting on June 2, Under Secretary Hooker met with Yeondu Jung, Director General of the Foreign Strategy and Information Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and posted a related photo on her X account (formerly Twitter).

In her post, Under Secretary Hooker emphasized, "As allies, it is extremely important that our two countries closely coordinate our approaches and policies on North Korea issues."

This round of consultations is seen as signaling the full-fledged onset of strategic coordination between South Korea and the United States over sensitive security issues, including the expansion of nuclear cooperation and the potential introduction of nuclear-powered submarines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.