Seoul: South Korea and the United States commenced their inaugural talks Tuesday to implement security agreements from a summit last year, with a focus on South Korea's pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, officials announced. The two-day discussions, held at the foreign ministry in Seoul, concentrate on security provisions from a bilateral joint fact sheet following last October's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean delegation is led by First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and includes officials from the presidential office and the ministries of defense, science, and industry. The U.S. delegation is headed by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, joined by Ivan Kanapathy of the National Security Council, Matthew Napoli from the National Nuclear Security Administration, and other officials from the Department of Energy.

Key topics include Seoul's ambition to develop nuclear-powered submarines, secure rights to enrich uranium, reprocess spent nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes, and expand shipbuilding cooperation. The joint fact sheet outlines commitments from both nations, such as security concerns and Seoul's US$350 billion investment in the U.S. in return for a reduced tariff rate.

The talks were initially expected earlier this year but were postponed due to Washington's focus on other priorities, including the Middle East conflict. The U.S. also expressed concerns over delays in Seoul's legislative process regarding its investment pledge and an investigation into Coupang Inc. regarding a significant data breach.

Despite the delays, working-level discussions have continued, and substantive talks are anticipated at this inaugural meeting, as stated by officials. In a recent interview, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun expressed South Korea's intent to revise the bilateral nuclear energy pact, known as the 123 Agreement, to allow uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The government aims to expedite cooperation in nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding, given the current prohibition on enriching uranium and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel under the existing agreement.