U.S. official says Washington sees scope for nuclear fuel-cycle cooperation with S. Korea

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SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- The United States sees potential for nuclear fuel-cycle cooperation with South Korea, including uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, a U.S. government official said Thursday.

"I think across the board we have opportunities for collaboration with each country with respect to the enrichment, reprocessing," the official said during a background briefing in Seoul, noting that the two countries had conducted joint fuel-cycle studies over an extended period.

The official said such cooperation would require further discussions under the countries' civil nuclear cooperation agreement, adding that "there are a lot of issues and we still have to work through those issues."

The South Korea-U.S. civil nuclear cooperation agreement, known as the 123 Agreement, provides the legal framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation between the two countries.

Under the current agreement, South Korea needs U.S. consent to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel covered by the pact. Seoul is seeking to revise the agreement to gain greater flexibility to carry out these activities for civilian purposes.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (L) holds talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at a hotel in New York in this Sept. 22, 2026, file photo. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

The official highlighted the U.S. goal of quadrupling its nuclear power capacity to 400 gigawatts by 2050 through the deployment of advanced reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs) and large conventional plants, as well as the momentum generated by President Donald Trump's push to expand nuclear energy.

He also noted the U.S. has invested around US$3 billion in uranium enrichment capabilities, including high-assay low-enriched uranium, to secure fuel supplies for advanced reactors both at home and in export markets.

"We do need Korean companies with experience already to help in the process," the official said.

Citing SK Group's investment in TerraPower, which is developing an advanced reactor in Wyoming, the U.S. official said major U.S. energy firm Westinghouse Electric Co. was looking to work with Hyundai Motor Co. and other South Korean firms.

He also said the U.S. encourages South Korean and U.S. companies to cooperate on nuclear projects in third-country markets, citing efforts by Westinghouse and Hyundai to work together on a reactor project in Bulgaria.

"We would like to have Korean companies participate in moving forward the renaissance in the U.S. and around the world," the official added.

SK Innovation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Choo Hyeong-wook (R) and TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque pose for a photo with a memorandum of agreement at a signing ceremony for key terms of a global joint business agreement between the two companies in Seoul in this Aug. 14, 2026, file photo. In the back row (from L) are TerraPower Chairman Bill Gates, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. (Yonhap)

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U.S. official says Washington sees scope for nuclear fuel-cycle cooperation with S. Korea

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，10月29日（韩联社）——一位美国政府官员周四表示，美国看到了与韩国在核燃料循环领域开展合作的潜力，包括铀浓缩和乏燃料后处理。

这位官员在首尔举行的一次背景简报会上表示：“我认为，在浓缩、后处理方面，我们与每个国家都有合作的机会。”他还指出，两国已经进行了相当长时间的联合燃料循环研究。

该官员表示，此类合作需要根据两国的民用核能合作协议进行进一步讨论，并补充说，“有很多问题需要解决，我们仍需努力解决这些问题。”

韩国与美国签署的民用核能合作协议，即123协议，为两国之间的和平核能合作提供了法律框架。

根据现行协议，韩国若要进行铀浓缩和乏核燃料后处理，必须获得美国的同意。首尔方面正寻求修改该协议，以获得更大的灵活性，从而能够出于民用目的开展这些活动。

这张摄于2026年9月22日的资料照片显示，韩国总统李在明（左）在纽约一家酒店与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普举行会谈。（联营照片）（韩联社）

该官员强调，美国的目标是到 2050 年将其核电产能提高四倍，达到 400 吉瓦，这需要部署先进反应堆、小型模块化反应堆 (SMR) 和大型常规核电站。他还提到，唐纳德·特朗普总统推动扩大核能发展所带来的势头。

他还指出，美国已投资约 30 亿美元用于铀浓缩能力建设，包括高丰度低浓缩铀，以确保国内和出口市场先进反应堆的燃料供应。

这位官员表示：“我们确实需要有相关经验的韩国公司来协助这一过程。”

这位美国官员援引SK集团对TerraPower的投资（该公司正在怀俄明州开发一座先进反应堆）表示，美国主要能源公司西屋电气公司正在寻求与现代汽车公司和其他韩国公司合作。

他还表示，美国鼓励韩国和美国公司在第三国市场开展核能项目合作，并举例说明了西屋电气和现代公司在保加利亚合作开展反应堆项目的努力。

“我们希望韩国企业参与推动美国乃至全世界的复兴，”这位官员补充道。

这张摄于2026年8月14日的资料照片显示，SK Innovation首席执行官秋亨旭（右）和TerraPower首席执行官克里斯·莱维斯克在首尔举行的全球联合业务协议关键条款签署仪式上，手持合作备忘录合影。后排（从左至右）依次为TerraPower董事长比尔·盖茨、产业通商资源部长官金正宽和SK集团董事长崔泰源。（韩联社）

graceoh@yna.co.kr (完)

韩国外长表示，韩国将加强与美国在关键安全问题上的对话，以期取得“切实”成果。

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（导语）民调显示，大多数美国人支持韩国的核动力潜艇项目。

（导语）韩国宣布投资后，预计与美国的安全谈判将取得更快进展

美国官员称，华盛顿认为与韩国在核燃料循环领域存在合作空间。