Korea launches gov't task force for nuclear energy talks with US

Rim Kap-soo, fifth from left, government representative for Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation, poses during an inaugural meeting of a pan-government task force on nuclear energy negotiations with the United States, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Korean government said Friday that it had formed a pan-government task force ahead of nuclear energy talks with the United States on uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel for peaceful use.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rim Kap-soo, the government's representative for Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation, chaired the inaugural meeting, which was attended by officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

Officials from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control also took part.

Rim, a former ambassador to Romania, is widely regarded as an expert in nuclear energy and nonproliferation. He previously worked as a nonproliferation specialist at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The closed-door meeting reviewed the respective roles of each organization on key issues and potential challenges related to upcoming consultations with Washington, the ministry said.

"The government plans to hold regular director-general–level meetings and working-level consultations of the task force to review major issues related to enrichment and reprocessing in a phased manner, and pursue a whole-of-government approach to help create a favorable domestic and international environment for securing the capacity for enrichment and reprocessing for peaceful and commercial purposes," it said in a statement.

The move follows a Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet unveiled in November last year, in which Washington expressed support for a process that would lead to Korea securing civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful purposes.

The agreement came after two summits between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in August and October 2025.

Under the current bilateral nuclear energy pact, revised in 2015, Korea is allowed to enrich uranium to levels below 20 percent and reprocess spent nuclear fuel only with U.S. consent.

To achieve broader authority as stipulated in the joint fact sheet, the two sides are widely expected to revise the existing nuclear energy agreement.

While officials in Seoul have not provided a specific timeline for the talks, some analysts say Korea should see tangible progress before the U.S. midterm elections in November, amid concerns that the Trump administration's policy momentum could weaken depending on the outcome.