Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (second from left) and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright (second from right) hold a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday. (South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs) South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun emphasized his country’s need to pursue uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing during talks with the US, describing the move as vital to Seoul’s energy security while emphasizing that it would serve purely commercial purposes.
According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Friday, Cho conveyed the request to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright during their meeting on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
South Korea, which operates 26 nuclear reactors, “needs to secure the complete nuclear fuel cycle” — including enrichment and reprocessing — to ensure a stable energy supply, Cho was quoted as saying.
The appeal comes as Seoul and Washington are negotiating revisions to their decades-old nuclear cooperation agreement, which currently prohibits South Korea from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel without US consent. US officials have historically resisted easing those restrictions, citing concerns about nuclear proliferation.
Wright responded by noting Cho’s request and saying he would consult with other US agencies, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said. The two ministers also recalled that the August summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump produced substantive discussions on nuclear cooperation and agreed to continue working to translate those talks into concrete steps.
Both sides highlighted the growing cooperation between South Korean and American nuclear companies and agreed that their governments should provide support to strengthen such partnerships, particularly as global demand for nuclear power construction rises — including in the US domestic market.
Earlier this month, Wi Sung-lac, director of national security at the presidential office, said talks on revising the nuclear cooperation agreement had made “meaningful progress,” suggesting that both sides had shown flexibility on enrichment and reprocessing.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com