Spat over US investments threatens to derail Korea’s nuclear submarine, enrichment plans

Overseas Minister Cho Hyun of South Korea attends a ministerial assembly on essential minerals on the US State Division on Feb. 4, 2026. (courtesy of MOFA)

US President Donald Trump’s risk to reinstate a 25% tariff on Korean items is impacting persevering with discussions about safety agreements reached by the 2 international locations about Korea’s improvement of nuclear-powered submarines, enrichment of uranium and reprocessing of spent nuclear gasoline.

“The tariff factor blew up, so we’ve bought to cope with that. However we’re additionally frightened concerning the knock-on results. There’s a bent for the US to cope with tariffs in tandem with overseas coverage and nationwide safety. So [discussions] are being delayed, and we’ve bought to be proactive about that,” Wi Sung-lac, the top of Korea’s Nationwide Safety Workplace, instructed the Hankyoreh on Thursday.

Wi’s remarks recommend that after the Korea-US tariff deal was apparently upended by Trump’s promise to boost tariffs on Korea as soon as once more, follow-up talks on nationwide safety initiatives, together with Korea’s improvement of nuclear-powered submarines and an replace to the 2 international locations’ atomic vitality settlement, have been negatively impacted as effectively.

Wi instructed the Kyunghyang Shinmun in an interview revealed Thursday that American safety negotiators “must be holding deliberations in Korea proper about now, however that’s been delayed.”

The 2 international locations agreed throughout Wi’s go to to the US final December that working-level officers from the US would go to Korea early this 12 months to maneuver ahead discussions about nuclear-powered submarine improvement, uranium enrichment and spent nuclear gasoline reprocessing. However as Korea and the US’ spat over investments and tariffs has heated up, these officers’ go to has apparently been postponed.

The joint reality sheet that outlined the agreements reached by the presidents of the US and South Korea throughout their assembly final 12 months was organized round two important pillars: tariffs and investments had been one, safety was the opposite. However as the 2 sides hit velocity bumps on commerce, issues that the US may put the brakes on agreements on safety issues appear to be changing into a actuality. 

This throws a wrench in Seoul’s plan of working quick sufficient on the nuclear submarine and uranium enrichment plans to attain tangible outcomes earlier than the US midterm election in November. 

For now, the Lee administration continues to strategy the US for consultations from all potential angles because it makes an attempt to cease the remainder of their bilateral agreements from going up in flames over the dispute concerning investments. Overseas Minister Cho Hyun’s latest assembly with US Power Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday throughout his journey to the US is one instance. 

The Division of Power is the first US company that Korea might want to work with whereas pursuing its plans for constructing nuclear submarines, uranium enrichment and spent gasoline reprocessing, as outlined within the joint reality sheet. 

In accordance with the Overseas Ministry on Thursday, throughout their assembly, Cho and Wright reaffirmed their shared view that there’s a have to make swift and concrete progress in cooperation on uranium enrichment, spent nuclear gasoline reprocessing and nuclear-powered submarines, and agreed to promptly perform full-fledged discussions on the working degree to that finish. 

Whereas Korea has wasted no time in making ready for working-level consultations by making a devoted job power for discussions associated to amending the bilateral pact on nuclear cooperation and pursuing the development of nuclear-powered submarines, little is understood about what preparations are underway within the US. There are, nevertheless, reportedly sturdy reservations within the Power Division about granting Korea better authority to counterpoint uranium and reprocess nuclear gasoline. 

At a gathering on Tuesday, Cho requested US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take the lead on cooperation in order to make sure progress will be made within the areas of nuclear vitality, nuclear submarines, and shipbuilding in line with schedule earlier than the top of the 12 months. 

By Park Min-hee, senior workers author; Search engine optimisation Younger-ji, workers reporter

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