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South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo (left) and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker shake hands during their meeting at the US Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 19. / Photo via Yonhap News

The United States and South Korea will convene their inaugural meeting in Seoul next week to deliberate security cooperation, focusing heavily on issues such as South Korea’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines—a critical agenda item agreed upon during last year's bilateral summit.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on May 29 that the launch meeting for follow-up measures regarding the security commitments outlined in the US-South Korea Summit Joint Fact Sheet will take place in Seoul from June 2 to 3.

The inaugural session comes eight months after the leaders of both nations unveiled the defense and security agreements in their Joint Fact Sheet last October. The two delegations are expected to hammer out concrete measures regarding South Korea's development of nuclear-powered submarines, alongside the potential expansion of Seoul’s capabilities in uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. Analysts project that the sectoral negotiations will accelerate significantly, particularly as the US midterm elections loom in November.

South Korea will field a comprehensive, pan-government delegation led by First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo. The team will comprise key officials from the Presidential National Security Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

The United States will dispatch a reciprocal interagency delegation spearheaded by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, alongside senior representatives from the White House National Security Council (NSC), the Department of State, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense.

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol