Han Media: Lee Seong-rok: "South Korea and the U.S. Should Reach a New Agreement on Developing Nuclear-Powered Submarines"
¬ To discuss follow-up measures, go to the U.S. ... "We need to coordinate North Korea policy at the NSC level"
On the 16th, South Korean President's Office National Security Advisor Lee Seong-rok visited the U.S. to negotiate follow-up implementation measures regarding the "Joint Fact Sheet" released last month, including ensuring uranium enrichment rights and building nuclear-powered submarines.
During his departure from Incheon International Airport that morning, Lee Seong-rok met with reporters and said, "The drafting of the statement took more than a month, including significant issues such as uranium enrichment and reprocessing, nuclear-powered submarines, and shipbuilding cooperation. Since it involves multiple departments, we hope to provide momentum for subsequent negotiations at the level of the head of the National Security Office, which is responsible for foreign and security affairs."
The National Security Office had previously been coordinating with relevant departments to establish three special task forces (TFs) responsible for uranium enrichment, nuclear-powered submarines, and defense budget negotiations. Although an internal goal was set to achieve substantial results by the first half of next year, due to the slow progress of practical negotiations with the U.S., Lee Seong-rok personally participated in high-level talks.
In particular, regarding the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines, Lee Seong-rok emphasized the necessity of reaching a "new agreement." Lee Seong-rok said, "To advance nuclear submarines, we need to go through legal procedures in the U.S. Congress and other related processes. Only by reaching a new agreement can we lay the legal foundation for building nuclear submarines. This time, we will discuss this issue."
Regarding the uranium enrichment issue, Lee Seong-rok said, "In order to take follow-up measures in the future, we need to conduct many practical negotiations. Throughout this process, we must demonstrate our reliability in terms of 'nuclear non-proliferation' to the U.S. side." The joint statement clearly stated that "the U.S. supports South Korea's civilian uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing procedures." However, some people in the U.S. government still worry that if South Korea gains the right to enrich and reprocess, it may move towards "nuclear armament."
At the same time, regarding the recent conflict between the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the leadership of North Korea policy, Lee Seong-rok said, "We are currently coordinating at the National Security Council (NSC) level. We should strive to have the government respond to external issues with 'one voice.' Although there have been many discussions and coordination at the NSC, individual departments may still have some opinions afterward. The NSC has been continuously coordinating matters related to North Korea policy."
Source: Chosun Ilbo
Original: toutiao.com/article/1851721729857610/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.