US delegation led by State Dept. undersecretary arrives in Seoul; talks cover nuclear fuel reprocessing, atomic energy pact revision
South Korea and the United States formally opened talks Monday on implementing a package of security agreements, including the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
Delegations from both countries convened a kick-off meeting at the annex of the Government Seoul Complex to follow up on security commitments outlined in the joint fact sheet from the bilateral summit. The talks are scheduled to run through Tuesday.
The South Korean side fielded a pan-government delegation led by First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yun-ju and including 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, led by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker and including officials from the White House National Security Council, the Department of State, the Department of Energy and the Department of War, arrived in Seoul the previous day. Vice Minister Park and Undersecretary Hooker co-chaired the opening session, after which working-level meetings proceeded by subject area under the lead of each side's national security office. The US delegation had postponed an originally planned January visit due to the situation in the Middle East. Both sides have signaled their intent to use the meeting not merely as an introductory session but as a substantive forum for reaching detailed agreements. Working-level teams on both sides had 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 produce nuclear fuel for peaceful and commercial purposes, as well as to obtain authority over nuclear fuel reprocessing.
The South Korean government has consistently maintained that pursuing nuclear-powered submarine construction and nuclear fuel enrichment and reprocessing rights will not lead to nuclear weapons development. Observers expect the talks also addressed specific verification and confirmation mechanisms that could objectively demonstrate adherence to nonproliferation principles. The two sides are expected to announce preliminary outcomes after concluding the second day of meetings Tuesday.
moone@heraldcorp.com
