Government Prepares to Announce Basic Plan for Nuclear Submarines... Vice Foreign Minister to Visit U.S. Next Week (Comprehensive)

As reports emerge that the government is considering announcing a basic plan for nuclear-powered submarines (nuclear subs), a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will visit the United States next week to discuss current issues, including Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation. It appears that the foreign affairs and security team is moving swiftly to follow up on the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS) released by the leaders of South Korea and the United States.

President Lee Jae-myung met with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the special summit dinner hosted by the president on October 29 last year at the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 15th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "First Vice Minister Park Yunju will visit the United States from May 18 to 21 and is scheduled to meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, and others."

The ministry added, "The two sides plan to hold in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics, including follow-up measures to the JFS and other bilateral, regional, and global issues." Previously, in December last year, Vice Minister Park and Deputy Secretary Landau agreed in the United States to launch a working-level consultative body to implement the outcomes of the Korea-U.S. summit.

According to the JFS, which contains agreements made between the two leaders in November last year, follow-up security measures include South Korea's construction of nuclear submarines and the expansion of authority for uranium enrichment and reprocessing. The government has prepared for working-level consultations with the U.S. side by forming government-wide task forces (TFs) led by the Ministry of National Defense for nuclear subs and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for nuclear cooperation on enrichment and reprocessing.

However, security consultations between South Korea and the United States have not seen significant progress due to a range of issues, including the Coupang case, delays in the Special Act on Investment in the U.S., and the U.S. war in Iran. The schedule for the U.S. delegation's visit to South Korea for working-level negotiations has also been delayed.

Against this backdrop, as the Special Act on Investment in the U.S. is set to take effect next month and U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up his visit to China following the U.S.-China summit, the government appears poised to begin earnest follow-up consultations on the JFS.

The government is also reviewing the option of announcing a basic plan for nuclear subs. A Ministry of National Defense official stated on this day, "Relevant ministries are cooperating to elaborate on the development’s basic plan," but added, "The timing of the announcement has not yet been decided." If the basic plan is announced, the Ministry of National Defense, which leads the nuclear sub TF involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and other related ministries, is expected to take the lead in making the announcement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.