South Korea and the US opened formal talks in Seoul on Tuesday to advance key security and economic agreements reached during last year’s summit between President Lee Jae Myung and his US counterpart Donald Trump.
The discussions mark the first working-level negotiations aimed at implementing commitments contained in a joint fact sheet adopted by the two allies.
Among the most closely watched agenda items are South Korea’s push to develop nuclear-powered submarines, secure uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful purposes, and expand bilateral shipbuilding cooperation.
The talks also cover Seoul’s pledge to invest $350 billion in the US, an agreement linked to reduced US tariff rates on Korean goods.
The negotiations are being led by senior officials from both governments and are expected to establish a framework and timeline for future agreements.
Analysts view the talks as a significant test of the allies’ ability to translate summit commitments into tangible outcomes after months of delays.
Ahead of the meeting, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker wrote on X that Washington is looking forward to “further deepening and modernizing our cooperation” with South Korea and expects “continued progress across bilateral relationships in the years to come.”
