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U.S., South Korea Hold First Nuclear Submarine Talks With No Agreement on Domestic Construction
Seoul and Washington discussed timelines and next steps for South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program during meetings on June 2 and 3. A senior presidential official said the goal of building the vessels domestically remains unchanged.
Jun 5, 5:36 AM·1m read1 source
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South Korea and the United States held their first round of consultations on nuclear-powered submarines in Seoul on June 2 and 3. The two sides discussed a timeline for follow-up talks and agreed to cooperate closely to produce tangible results as quickly as possible. A senior presidential official said Friday that the goal of building the submarines in South Korea remains largely unchanged.
The official added that the issue has never been revisited or questioned during the negotiations. The United States expressed support for Seoul's pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and uranium enrichment following a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and President Donald Trump late in 2025.
South Korea aims to develop nuclear-powered, conventionally armed attack submarines fueled by low-enriched uranium and plans to launch its first vessel in the mid-2030s.
The recent negotiations also addressed uranium enrichment and reprocessing. The senior presidential official said the talks covered these topics in a productive and useful manner. South Korea plans to accelerate discussions to produce concrete results by the end of 2026.
The official noted that no deadline has been set for the overall project. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker held talks on security-related issues from summit agreements at the foreign ministry in Seoul on June 2.
The senior presidential official said the two sides currently have no significant differences over the timing of the planned wartime operational control transfer. The official described a gap of about a year or slightly longer between the two sides on OPCON transfer timing. President Lee Jae Myung seeks to complete the wartime OPCON transfer during his five-year term ending in 2030.
