A senior official at South Korea’s presidential office told reporters Friday that there has been no major change to Seoul’s position that nuclear-powered submarines will be built domestically. The statement came as South Korea and the United States held formal security talks in Seoul this week on follow-up discussions related to Seoul’s push for nuclear-powered submarines and expanded rights for uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the recent security talks between South Korea and the United States as “very productive and useful.” The discussions included what the official called an “umbrella” consultation framework covering enrichment, reprocessing, and submarine development.
“We have not set a target deadline, but we will move quickly and try to produce concrete results by the end of the year,” the official said, according to a translation of remarks carried by the South Korean news outlet Asia Today and relayed by United Press International.
On enrichment and reprocessing rights, the official said Seoul and Washington need “several new frameworks of agreement.” The official added: “We intend to make progress, including by revising what needs to be revised.” The official described the talks on enrichment and reprocessing as now moving into a full-fledged phase.
“These discussions are based on trust in South Korea’s denuclearization, so there are no additional denuclearization conditions,” the official said.
The talks follow earlier bilateral agreements on nuclear cooperation and submarine development. Separately, the two allies discussed the timeline for South Korea to recover wartime operational control of its forces, a process that has been under negotiation for more than a decade.
Asked about coordination on the timing, the official said the two allies do not have a significant difference of opinion. “Efforts to meet the conditions have continued for more than 10 years, and several years ago there was even an assessment that the conditions had been more than 90% met,” the official said. “Because there is little difference in views on the conditions, we can coordinate and align them.”
On the specific gap between the two sides’ timetables, the official said: “There is a gap of a little over a year, about one year-plus. We do not see that gap as something that cannot be adjusted.”