South Korea and the United States have agreed to pursue a stand-alone agreement on cooperation for nuclear-powered submarines. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said working-level talks will begin early next year. The move follows a joint fact sheet from last month's APEC summit.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac announced on December 24 that South Korea and the United States have agreed to pursue a stand-alone agreement on cooperation for nuclear-powered submarines. He made the remarks after returning from a weeklong trip to the U.S., Canada, and Japan, where he held practical and in-depth consultations with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Washington.
The agreement stems from security pacts outlined in a joint fact sheet released last month following President Lee Jae-myung's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju in late October. "We shared the view that a stand-alone agreement on cooperation over nuclear-powered submarines is necessary, and agreed to move forward with discussions," Wi told reporters.
During the talks on uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, Wi reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation. South Korea plans to secure low-enriched uranium at levels below 20 percent to fuel the submarines, with highly enriched uranium not under consideration. Wi emphasized that South Korea has no plan to gain access to highly enriched uranium.
Under the bilateral nuclear accord with the U.S., South Korea is largely prohibited from enriching its own uranium and must import all of its low-enriched uranium. A working-level U.S. delegation is expected to visit South Korea early next year to hold consultations on implementing the agreements in the joint fact sheet. This cooperation aims to bolster the U.S.-South Korea security alliance.
