Washington: President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to work together on the shipbuilding industry and had "meaningful" discussions on nuclear energy cooperation in their summit Monday, according to Lee's top security aide. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac revealed that Lee's first meeting with Trump focused on boosting the shipbuilding and other manufacturing sectors, while also exploring new areas of cooperation in energy.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the two leaders "shared a consensus on significantly expanding cooperation in shipbuilding and held meaningful discussions on nuclear energy cooperation," Wi told reporters in Washington. "There will be additional consultations related to nuclear energy cooperation between the two nations," Wi stated, but did not provide further details.
Seoul has been seeking to revise the bilateral nuclear pact with Washington, which currently prohibits Seoul from reprocessing and uranium enrichment. South Korea views securing uranium enrichment and reprocessing capabilities as crucial for addressing its energy security and environmental concerns, as well as aiding its export bids. However, Washington has been cautious about lifting restrictions due to proliferation concerns, particularly the potential for reprocessing facilities to be used to extract plutonium for nuclear weapons.
The summit also touched upon the future trajectory of the longstanding security alliance between the two nations. Wi noted there was "broad consensus" on advancing "alliance modernization" to strengthen the joint defense posture. This concept is considered sensitive as it may involve adjustments to the role or scope of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea, under the framework of "strategic flexibility," to counter an increasingly assertive China.