▲ South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo (L) and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker pose for a photo before their talks at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2026, in this photo released by Seoul's foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) S Korea-US-security meeting

(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. to launch talks on security initiatives from summit agreements next week

(ATTN: CHANGES dateline; UPDATES with State Department's press release in last 3 paras)

SEOUL/WASHINGTON, May 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will launch formal negotiations next week to implement security agreements reached between their leaders, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.

A kickoff meeting will take place in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday to launch follow-up consultations on the security-related parts of the joint fact sheet published in November following the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the ministry.

The agenda is expected to include Seoul's push to build nuclear-powered submarines, secure uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful use, as well as the expansion of shipbuilding cooperation between the two allies.

First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo will lead South Korea's delegation, which will include officials from the presidential office, as well as the defense, science and industry ministries.

The U.S. delegation will be led by Allison Hooker, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, and will include officials from the White House National Security Council, the Department of State, the Department of Energy and other agencies, the ministry said.

The joint fact sheet includes a range of commitments from both sides, including security-related issues and Seoul's US$350 billion investment pledge to the U.S. in exchange for a reduced U.S. tariff rate.

The kickoff meeting had initially been expected to take place earlier this year but was delayed as Washington focused on other priorities, including the Middle East conflict, while also raising concerns over delays in Seoul's legislative process for its investment pledge and the probe into e-commerce giant Coupang over a massive data breach, among other issues.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday that Seoul aims to move quickly to revise its civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S. to enable uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing while also accelerating progress on nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding cooperation.

The two sides have been working closely to ensure that the inaugural meeting produces substantive progress, Cho added.

In a media note, the U.S. Department of State said that Hooker will lead the interagency delegation to advance "nuclear cooperation initiatives" that Trump agreed on during his visit to South Korea in October.

During her stay in Korea from Monday to Wednesday, the under secretary will also engage with her counterparts on a wide range of bilateral and global issues to strengthen the "broad" and "enduring" alliance between the two countries, including in security and economic cooperation, the department said.

"The U.S.-ROK Alliance remains the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific region," it said. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

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