Seoul: A senior U.S. diplomat visiting Seoul expressed optimism Tuesday about advancing bilateral security cooperation with South Korea as the two countries launched inaugural working-level talks to implement a set of agreements reached by their leaders last year, including Seoul's push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Allison Hooker, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, made the remarks in a post on social media as she was leading a U.S. delegation at the two-day security agreement consultations that began earlier in the day.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Hooker expressed her satisfaction in launching the U.S.-ROK working group discussions aimed at advancing bilateral nuclear cooperation initiatives as outlined by the leaders of the two countries last fall. She emphasized the "shared history" and milestones achieved over more than 70 years of alliance between the U.S. and South Korea. Hooker also mentioned her anticipation to further deepen and modernize bilateral cooperation and expected continued progress across the bilateral relationship in the years to come.

The South Korean delegation is led by First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and includes officials from the presidential office, as well as the defense, science, and industry ministries. The key agenda items for the talks are expected to focus on security-related provisions in a bilateral joint fact sheet issued following a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in October. These agenda items include Seoul's push to build nuclear-powered submarines, secure the right to enrich uranium, reprocess spent nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes, and expand shipbuilding cooperation between the two sides.