Pact allows 20% enrichment under safeguards, but Russian supply risks and need for significant investment pose barriers
A provisional agreement between the U.S. and South Korea to ease restrictions on uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing marks a major shift in the bilateral nuclear framework, while reinforcing long-term constraints on South Korea’s industrial autonomy and deepening its dependency on U.S. oversight.
ROK foreign minister Cho Hyun confirmed that Washington and Seoul have completed a draft text to amend operational aspects of their nuclear cooperation agreement. The original U.S.-ROK 123 agreement, revised in 2015, restricted South Korea from independently enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel due to proliferation concerns.
A provisional agreement between the U.S. and South Korea to ease restrictions on uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing marks a major shift in the bilateral nuclear framework, while reinforcing long-term constraints on South Korea’s industrial autonomy and deepening its dependency on U.S. oversight.
ROK foreign minister Cho Hyun confirmed that Washington and Seoul have completed a draft text to amend operational aspects of their nuclear cooperation agreement. The original U.S.-ROK 123 agreement, revised in 2015, restricted South Korea from independently enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel due to proliferation concerns.
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