S. Korea, U.S. hold first nuclear talks to pave way for submarine construction

The United States and South Korea have initiated their first nuclear cooperation talks, a significant step toward realizing Seoul's ambition to build its own nuclear-powered submarines. The meeting, held from June 2 to 3, focuses on potentially expanding South Korea's rights concerning uranium enrichment and nuclear waste reprocessing.

This dialogue follows a joint security statement signed in November of the previous year, where Washington expressed support for South Korea's development of civilian nuclear technology and agreed in principle to its construction of nuclear-powered submarines. South Korea's Defense Minister previously stated plans to launch its first nuclear submarine, fueled by low-enriched uranium, by the mid-2030s.

The South Korean delegation was led by First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yun-ju, while the U.S. delegation was headed by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Park Il, the core agenda items included "expanding enrichment and reprocessing rights" and "building nuclear-powered submarines."

Park Il explained that increasing civilian uranium enrichment and reprocessing authority would require revising the existing U.S.-South Korea nuclear agreement. Separately, submarine development, due to its military application, necessitates a new agreement under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act. Under the current framework, South Korea, despite operating nuclear power plants, is prohibited from reprocessing nuclear waste or using enriched uranium for military purposes.