Top security adviser cites 'progress' in talks with US on advancing summit agreements
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac answers reporters' questions at Dulles International Airport, near Washington, D.C., Tuesday (local time). Yonhap
WASHINGTON — National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Thursday that he made "progress" in talks with senior U.S. officials over how to accelerate efforts to move forward with the agreements reached in the summits between their leaders.
Wi made the remarks on the last day of his two-day trip to Washington after he had meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who doubles as the U.S. national security adviser, and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
"It was good. There has been progress," Wi told Yonhap News TV by phone.
"It's difficult to pin down specific areas, (but) we agreed to expedite follow-up measures," he said, without elaborating.
South Korea and the United States have released a joint fact sheet outlining their agreements reached between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump on trade and security in their two summits in August and October.
In the joint fact sheet, the U.S. committed to supporting South Korea for the process that will lead to its civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses. It also includes U.S. approval for and its commitment to advancing Seoul's drive for nuclear-powered submarines.
Under a bilateral energy pact with the U.S., South Korea is permitted to enrich uranium to levels of up to 20 percent and to reprocess spent fuel for civil purposes but only with U.S. consent, effectively barring it from carrying out those activities.
As for nuclear-powered submarines, South Korea is reportedly seeking a U.S. exception under Section 91 of the Atomic Energy Act, which allows the U.S. president to authorize the transfer of nuclear materials for military purposes.
Wi was set to depart for New York on Thursday to meet with senior U.N. officials for talks expected to center on issues related to North Korea and the Korean Peninsula, as well as South Korea's cooperation with the U.N.