Foreign ministry sets up team for nuclear-powered sub talks with U.S.: sources

▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (L) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of their talks in Washington on Feb. 4, 2026, in this file photo provided by the foreign ministry in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

foreign ministry-nuclear-powered subs

Foreign ministry sets up team for nuclear-powered sub talks with U.S.: sources

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry has launched a team tasked with supporting negotiations with the United States on South Korea's push to build nuclear-powered submarines, diplomatic sources said Thursday.

The team, under the North America affairs division, is expected to work as a negotiating channel to advance an agreement between the allies on allowing South Korea to build the strategic vessels, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

The team is also expected to draft a bilateral arrangement outlining how the allies could cooperate on supporting South Korea in securing fuel supply for the submarines.

It is seen as an effort to facilitate the agreements reached between the allies following the two summits between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in August and October last year.

The agreements cover trade and security commitments, including South Korea's US$350 billion investment package for the U.S. in return for lowering the reciprocal duty on South Korean goods from 25 percent to 15 percent.

The move comes amid growing uncertainties over the prospect of the summit agreements after Trump's warning of a tariff hike, citing Seoul's slow progress in implementing the deals.

Seoul has formed a pan-government task force for negotiations on the nuclear-powered submarines, with the defense ministry taking the lead.

Of the negotiations on security issues, the foreign ministry is responsible for talks on revising a nuclear energy pact with Washington to secure the rights for uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful use.

A U.S. delegation for negotiations on the security-related issues is expected to visit South Korea as early as late this month, or in early March, to initiate the talks with Seoul.

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