U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker is expected to visit Korea within weeks to launch a bilateral working group to implement U.S.-Korea agreements, including building a nuclear-powered submarine.
On the 19th (local time), the U.S. State Department said in a press release announcing the meeting between Vice Minister Hooker and First Vice Minister Park Yun-ju of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is visiting the United States, that "Vice Minister Hooker will lead an interagency delegation to visit Seoul in the coming weeks to launch a bilateral working group to continue implementing the items agreed during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Korea in October last year."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a press release that "with a consensus that the joint explainer from last year's U.S.-Korea summit should be implemented quickly to produce visible results, the two sides agreed to hold a kick-off (launch) meeting to implement the security agenda," adding that Vice Minister Hooker is scheduled to visit Korea within weeks in connection with this.
Earlier, after holding a summit in October last year, the U.S. and Korean leaders released a fact sheet that included building a nuclear-powered submarine for Korea and expanding authority for uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. There had been criticism that these agreements were not being implemented properly, but with the announcement that day, implementation is expected to gain speed.
The State Department said, "The two sides discussed efforts to advance the broad and enduring alliance between the United States and Korea, including security and economic cooperation, as well as a wide range of urgent regional and global issues."
The two vice ministers also reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation in international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz. They further reaffirmed that the U.S.-Korea alliance is a linchpin for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific beyond the Korean Peninsula, and Vice Minister Hooker emphasized the United States' ironclad defense commitment through extended deterrence (nuclear umbrella), among other measures.
The State Department said, "Vice Minister Hooker emphasized that the United States looks forward to continued progress in the bilateral trade and industry partnership, the need for fair treatment of U.S. corporations, and the swift removal of barriers to market access."