Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a National Assembly session, Friday. Yonhap
A Korean delegation plans to visit the United States for talks with Washington on Seoul's efforts to secure rights for uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Friday.
Cho made the remarks during a National Assembly session, amid little progress in advancing the security agreement reached under their joint fact sheet, produced after the two summit talks between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump last year.
Under the agreement, the U.S. agreed to support Korea's drive to secure uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities, among other commitments.
"After close consultations with the U.S. side, it was agreed that our team will travel (to the U.S.) first," Cho said. "The visit (by the U.S. delegation to Seoul) had already been delayed due to scheduling issues and the outbreak of the war (in the Middle East) has made further delays inevitable."
Seoul has launched task forces for the negotiations and had been in talks with Washington to arrange a visit by a U.S. delegation around February or early March to initiate the negotiations.
But the allies have made little headway, largely due to delays in Seoul's legislative process to move forward the trade deal with the United States linked to the security agreement.
The recent conflict in the Middle East, triggered by U.S. strikes on Iran, has also complicated the process.
Asked by a lawmaker whether the U.S. has requested Seoul provide any form of support for its military action against Iran, Cho said no such request has been made.
Cho declined to comment on growing speculation that the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) may transfer its troops or military assets to the Middle East.
Source: Korea Times News
