Seoul seeks faster implementation of US agreements during Washington visit

South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo arrived in Washington on May 18 for a series of high-level talks aimed at accelerating the implementation of key bilateral agreements with the United States.

During his visit, Park is scheduled to meet Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker on Tuesday, May 19, and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday, May 20, as per Korean media.

The trip comes amid concerns in Seoul over the slow progress in implementing agreements reached at last year’s summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. These include US cooperation in South Korea’s efforts to develop nuclear-powered submarines and secure rights to civil uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.

Speaking to reporters upon arrival at Dulles International Airport, Park said: “I've come here to follow up on and discuss a range of pending bilateral issues between South Korea and the United States.”

“In addition, I will exchange views on regional and global issues given that there has been much change in the regional landscape,” he added.

Park described the agreements on nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear fuel cycle rights as “very historic” and said they would “upgrade” the alliance between the two countries.

“There have been various efforts to establish implementation consultation bodies, and after those efforts have borne fruit, we are now at a stage where we have to discuss implementation matters,” he said. “We have had close consultations, and I will continue to make efforts along the same lines.”

His visit follows last week’s summit in Beijing between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both sides reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearising North Korea. Park said “constructive” US-China consultations appear to have created a “good momentum.”

“From our perspective, that is an outcome, and I will seek to ensure that it has a positive effect as we deal with Korean Peninsula issues and the South Korea–U.S. relationship,” he noted.

In addition to security issues, Park is expected to discuss US trade investigations that could lead to new tariffs on South Korean goods, as well as concerns over Washington’s reported reduction in intelligence sharing following an alleged classified information leak by a Seoul official.

By Tamilla Hasanova