The now-retired Kori-1 nuclear reactor of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co.’s nuclear power plant in the southeastern port city of Busan, South Korea, 26 June 2025. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the decommissioning of the country’s first commercial nuclear reactor the same day, which was permanently shut down in June 2017 after operating since April 1978.File Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Jan. 9 (Asia Today) — South Korea on Thursday formally launched an intergovernmental consultative body to coordinate nuclear cooperation talks with the United States, including discussions tied to uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful commercial purposes, the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said the first inter-ministerial meeting was held Thursday under Lim Gap-soo, the government’s representative for South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation. The new task force will serve as the government’s main platform for preparing consultations and related negotiations with Washington to secure capabilities related to enrichment and reprocessing, the ministry said.
Eight institutions are participating: the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and Control and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. The National Security Office at the presidential office will act as the control tower, the ministry said.
“At this meeting of relevant ministries, we reviewed the roles and cooperation systems of each ministry regarding key issues and tasks related to enrichment and reprocessing, and exchanged views on the direction and plan for responding to consultations with the U.S.,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said it plans to hold periodic director-level meetings and working-level consultations to review key plans step by step and to pursue a whole-of-government approach aimed at shaping domestic and international conditions for securing enrichment and reprocessing capabilities for peaceful and commercial purposes.
Separately, the Foreign Ministry said it formed its own internal task force Monday to support Lim’s work, with three working-level officials assigned.
A ministry official said there could be multiple routes for cooperation, including revising the existing bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, making limited amendments or reaching another arrangement. The official said communication with the United States is ongoing and consultations will begin once both sides are ready.
South Korea and the United States previously discussed security cooperation measures on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju in October, including nuclear-powered submarines, enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing and defense spending, and released a joint fact sheet in November outlining the measures, the ministry said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.