South Korea, U.S. to begin nuclear submarine talks

South Korea and the United States are set to begin negotiations as early as next month over Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and expanded rights to uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing.

According to South Korea’s foreign ministry, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo met U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker in Washington on May 19 (local time), where both sides agreed to hold a “kick-off” meeting to implement security-related understandings reached at last year’s South Korea-U.S. summit.

The U.S. State Department said Hooker will travel to Seoul in the coming weeks with an interagency delegation to formally launch a bilateral working group. The move is expected to push forward follow-up talks on nuclear-powered submarines and broader nuclear fuel cycle capabilities, negotiations that had been delayed amid disputes over U.S. investment commitments.

South Korea’s navy has also taken an initial step in the process, submitting a formal requirements document to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a domestic nuclear-powered submarine program. The document outlines performance specifications, fleet size and deployment timelines, marking the first official stage of any new weapons acquisition plan.

The U.S. State Department also said Hooker stressed the importance of fair treatment for U.S. companies and the swift removal of market access barriers. The comments are seen as continued pressure on Seoul over issues including the Coupang dispute and South Korea’s proposed online platform regulation bill.


Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com