US delegation led by Under Secretary Hooker arrives for June 2-3 consultations; scope of atomic energy pact revision draws attention

South Korea and the United States formally launched working-level consultations in Seoul on nuclear-powered submarine construction. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo visited the United States on May 19 (local time) and met with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
South Korea and the United States formally launched working-level consultations in Seoul on nuclear-powered submarine construction. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo visited the United States on May 19 (local time) and met with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

South Korea and the United States on Tuesday opened consultations on implementing security commitments from their recent summit, including the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel.

Delegations from both countries convened a kickoff meeting at the annex of the Government Seoul Complex to follow up on security-related items in the Joint Fact Sheet from the South Korea-US summit talks. The meetings are scheduled to run through Wednesday.

The South Korean side fielded a pan-government delegation led by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo, drawing officials from the Cheong Wa Dae National Security Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Climate and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

The US delegation — comprising officials from the White House National Security Council, the Department of State, the Department of Energy and the Department of War — arrived Monday and joined the talks Tuesday. Park and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker co-chaired the kickoff session, after which working groups led by each side's national security offices held separate meetings by subject area.

The US delegation had originally been scheduled to visit in January but postponed the trip due to the situation in the Middle East. Both sides have signaled they intend to use the meetings to reach concrete agreements rather than treat the gathering as a mere introductory session. Working-level teams are said to have been in communication ahead of the talks to that end.

The two sides are expected to have covered a broad range of issues, including South Korea's construction of nuclear-powered submarines, rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, and bilateral shipbuilding cooperation. Seoul is seeking to revise the South Korea-US atomic energy agreement to secure the right to build its own uranium enrichment facility and reprocess nuclear fuel for peaceful and commercial purposes.

Addressing US nonproliferation concerns is seen as the most immediate hurdle. The South Korean government has consistently maintained that pursuing nuclear-powered submarine construction and fuel cycle rights will not lead to nuclear weapon development. Observers expect the talks to have also addressed specific verification and confirmation mechanisms to objectively demonstrate adherence to nonproliferation principles.

The two sides are expected to announce preliminary outcomes after concluding Wednesday's sessions. Given that detailed findings are unlikely to be disclosed before a final agreement is reached, any announcement may include a broad outline of the discussions along with a commitment to regularize working-level consultations. The delegations are then scheduled to attend an official dinner hosted by Deputy Minister Park.

A bilateral meeting between Park and Hooker is also possible. If the meeting takes place, the two are expected to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other global issues.


moone@heraldcorp.com