US and South Korea finish inaugural nuclear talks

South Korea and the United States concluded two days of inaugural talks on Wednesday aimed at advancing a landmark nuclear cooperation agreement. The discussions focused on implementing commitments made last year to support South Korea’s civilian nuclear energy ambitions and its pursuit of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.

The meetings, held in Seoul, were led by South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoonjoo and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. Officials from both countries’ national security offices directed sector-specific consultations. According to a release from South Korea’s foreign ministry, the two sides agreed to work swiftly toward tangible results, establish a mechanism to review progress, and accelerate future consultations. The next round of talks is reportedly planned for Washington as early as next month.

A central agenda item was Seoul’s push to revise the existing bilateral nuclear cooperation pact, known as the 123 Agreement. The current agreement, last revised in 2015, prohibits South Korea from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent nuclear fuel for commercial purposes without explicit U.S. consent....