Seoul: A South Korean delegation plans to visit the United States for discussions with Washington on Seoul's efforts to secure rights for uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, as stated by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. The announcement was made during a National Assembly session, highlighting the lack of progress in advancing a security agreement established after summit talks between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump last year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the agreement includes U.S. support for South Korea's ambitions to develop uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun noted that after comprehensive consultations, it was agreed that the South Korean team would visit the U.S. first. The visit by the U.S. delegation to Seoul has been postponed due to scheduling conflicts and further delayed by the outbreak of the war in the Middle East.

Seoul initiated task forces for the negotiations and had been coordinating with Washington to arrange a U.S. delegation visit around February or early March. However, progress has stalled, mainly due to delays in Seoul's legislative process regarding a trade deal tied to the security agreement. The recent conflict in the Middle East, initiated by U.S. strikes on Iran, has further complicated the situation.

The foreign ministry stated that the exact date of the South Korean delegation's visit to the U.S. is yet to be finalized. Discussions are ongoing to arrange specific dates, with the visit anticipated to involve preliminary exchanges of views before formal negotiations begin.

When questioned about whether the U.S. has requested support from Seoul for its military actions against Iran, Cho confirmed that no such request has been made. He also refrained from commenting on speculation regarding the potential transfer of U.S. Forces Korea troops or military assets to the Middle East, emphasizing that the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture remains stable and unaffected.