Korea speeds up preparations for nuclear energy talks with US

Rim Kap-soo, fifth from left, government representative for Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation, poses during the 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 appears to be speeding up preparations for nuclear energy talks with the United States after Washington gave Seoul the green light to pursue uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful purposes.

According to diplomatic sources Tuesday, an internal task force on nuclear energy negotiations within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seeking to hold weekly meetings. A director-general-level task force is expected to meet at least once every three months.

Officials are said to be pushing to quickly hold an inaugural meeting with the U.S. side, reflecting a shared understanding between the Korean and U.S. leaders that the process should move forward swiftly.

On Friday, the government held the inaugural meeting of a pan-government task force on nuclear energy negotiations with the U.S.

Chaired by Rim Kap-soo, the government's representative for Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation, the task force includes officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

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.

The move follows a Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet unveiled last November, 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 last year.

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 obtain broader authority as outlined in the joint fact sheet, the two sides are widely expected to revise the existing nuclear energy agreement. Others note, however, that the negotiations may not necessarily involve a formal revision of the agreement, but could instead lead to a separate arrangement that would involve a simpler process.

A foreign ministry official said the word "revision" was left out of the task force’s official name to keep open various possible pathways to securing enrichment and reprocessing rights.

While officials in Seoul have not provided a specific timeline for the talks, some analysts say Korea should achieve 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.