South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Arrives in Washington for Bilateral Talks

South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister arrived in Washington on Monday for talks with senior U.S. officials. The visit aims to accelerate implementation of agreements reached during last year's summit between the two countries. The diplomat plans to meet Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker on Tuesday and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday.

Discussions will focus on cooperation for a nuclear-powered submarine project and efforts to secure rights for civil uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing.

The agreements from last year's summit include U.S. cooperation with South Korea on nuclear-powered submarines. They also cover rights for civil uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. He noted that implementation consultation bodies have been established and that talks have now moved to specific implementation matters.

The visit follows last week's summit between the U.S. and Chinese leaders in Beijing, where they confirmed the shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea. The diplomat said constructive consultations between the U.S. and China have created good momentum on the issue.

He added that he will seek to ensure the outcome has a positive effect on Korean Peninsula issues and the South Korea–U.S. relationship. The diplomat also plans to discuss ongoing U.S. trade investigations that could result in new tariffs and Washington's reported reduction of intelligence sharing with Seoul.