U.S. and South Korea Hold Talks on Nuclear Submarines, Uranium Enrichment and Tariff-Linked Investment
Delegations met June 2 in Seoul to begin implementing October summit agreements on nuclear cooperation and a $350 billion South Korean investment pledge.
thehindu.comSouth Korea and the United States opened two days of talks June 2 at the foreign ministry building in Seoul to carry out security agreements reached by President Lee Jae Myung and President Donald Trump at their October summit. The agenda centers on Seoul’s request to build nuclear-powered submarines, gain the right to enrich uranium, reprocess spent nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes, and expand shipbuilding cooperation. S.
Tariff rate. South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo led her country’s delegation, which included officials from the presidential office and the defense, science and industry ministries. S.
Side was headed by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker and included Ivan Kanapathy of the National Security Council, Matthew Napoli of the National Nuclear Security Administration, and representatives from the Department of Energy.
Park Yoon-joo and Allison Hooker shook hands at the start of the session, according to a photograph released by Seoul’s foreign ministry. The meeting had been expected earlier in 2026 but was postponed while Washington addressed the Middle East conflict and raised questions about delays in Seoul’s legislative approval of the investment pledge and a data-breach investigation into Coupang Inc.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told Yonhap News Agency last week that South Korea wants to revise the 123 Agreement “as soon as possible” to lift current restrictions on uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing. The existing pact bars South Korea from those activities.
Last week Seoul released a timetable for nuclear-powered attack submarines using low-enriched uranium, with the first boat scheduled for launch in the mid-2030s.
Hooker is scheduled to meet separately with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and other senior officials while in Seoul. Working-level discussions between the two governments have continued despite the delay in convening the formal body.
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