South Korea, US to discuss revising nuclear energy pact: Report

ISTANBUL

South Korea and the US are considering launching talks on revising their nuclear energy pact, with Seoul seeking loose restrictions on activities such as spent fuel reprocessing, Yonhap News reported on Sunday, citing sources.

Seoul and Washington have been coordinating on the issue, the source said, ahead of President Lee Jae Myung’s first White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday, where security and trade will also be discussed.

If agreed, both governments could announce the launch of discussions or include it in a joint summit statement, the report said.

The pact, last revised in 2015 and valid until 2035, bans reprocessing and uranium enrichment but allows South Korea to research “pyroprocessing,” a new technology for spent nuclear fuel recycling, and produce low-level enriched uranium with US consent.

Seoul has repeatedly pushed for revisions, arguing that enrichment and reprocessing rights are vital for energy security, waste management, and its role as a reactor exporter.

“Our hope is that we will make progress (in the effort to revise the pact) through this summit,” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said last week.