Despite U.S. 'support,' Korea may face long, arduous road to uranium enrichment
Published: 16 Nov. 2025, 17:56
![President Lee Jae Myung speaks about the conclusion of the Korea-U.S. fact sheet at the presidential office press briefing room in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Nov. 14. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac stands at right. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/16/7f030955-14c9-4a84-bd89-4d0779cbd329.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung speaks about the conclusion of the Korea-U.S. fact sheet at the presidential office press briefing room in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Nov. 14. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac stands at right. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The United States officially "supports the process" that will lead to Korea's uranium enrichment, heightening both hopes that Seoul will pursue an independent nuclear fuel cycle and worries that practical preparations will be challenging and time-consuming.
The joint Korea-U.S. fact sheet released Friday said — under the conditions that Seoul complies with its bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement and that Washington’s legal requirements are met — that the United States "supports the process that will lead to the ROK’s [Republic of Korea] civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses,” referencing Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
Experts say this wording can only be realized if the current agreement, which remains valid through 2035, is revised early. Under the current agreement, first signed in 1956 and last amended in 2015, enriched uranium supplied to Korea “may contain up to 20 percent in the isotope U-235.”
The agreement also states that “a portion of the uranium enriched in the isotope U235 so supplied may be made available as material containing more than 20 percent in the isotope U-235” when the United States Atomic Energy Commission finds there is “a technical or economic justification for such a transfer.”
For that reason, limited enrichment is theoretically permissible under U.S. oversight, while reprocessing is effectively barred. The fact sheet, however, does not state that the two countries have begun work on revising the agreement.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac also used the word “adjust” in explaining the agreement on Friday, saying, “How much it will be adjusted depends on the consultations,” a remark widely seen as hinting at the possibility of renegotiation.
“Both the 'enrichment' and 'reprocessing' mentioned in the fact sheet appear to require an amendment to the agreement,” said a diplomatic source familiar with the talks. “If Korea begins enriching U.S.-origin nuclear material on its own, concerns about nuclear weapons development could arise, so Washington seems to have attached multiple nonproliferation conditions.”
![President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands ahead of their summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in North Gyeongsang on Oct. 29. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/16/9421b002-6345-4cb9-bb71-d265933511ff.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands ahead of their summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in North Gyeongsang on Oct. 29. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
“The United States expressed 'support,' not 'approval,' and even that came with conditions such as compliance with U.S. legal requirements and the phrase ‘procedures that could lead to,’” said Lee Byong-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies. “The uncertainty remains significant because Korea would have to overcome major obstacles in U.S. domestic law and renegotiation of the bilateral nuclear agreement to achieve an autonomous nuclear fuel cycle.”
Analysts say uranium enrichment may be more negotiable than reprocessing. Uranium enriched below 20 percent — the ceiling for peaceful use under the agreement — is considered far from weapons-grade material, which generally requires 90 percent enrichment.
Japan, under its 1988 nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States, secured blanket prior consent for both enrichment and reprocessing and can carry out enrichment below 20 percent without seeking U.S. approval each time.
Reprocessing, however, is considered far more sensitive because plutonium extracted in the process can be diverted directly to nuclear weapons, and the industrial need for reprocessing is also weaker than for enrichment. Korea conducted a decade-long joint study with the United States on pyroprocessing, a form of dry reprocessing considered less vulnerable to weapons diversion, but the results remain sealed and the project is effectively stalled.
Seoul has argued that reprocessing is necessary because its spent-fuel storage pools are nearing capacity, but Washington has suggested alternatives such as dry cask storage and does not view the issue as grounds for granting reprocessing rights.
![The joint fact sheet on President Donald Trump and President Lee Jae Myung's meeting, posted on the White House website on Nov. 13. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/16/2abbbf6a-ecba-46c3-b305-f5e2bb767fbc.jpg)
The joint fact sheet on President Donald Trump and President Lee Jae Myung's meeting, posted on the White House website on Nov. 13. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
In addition to negotiating authority for enrichment and reprocessing, Seoul faces major challenges at home, including securing sites for related facilities and managing public opinion. Even if Seoul gains the authority, building such facilities in one of the world’s most densely populated countries would almost certainly trigger political controversy.
Some analysts say it will also be important for Seoul to clearly emphasize that expanding its peaceful use of nuclear energy creates strategic benefits for U.S. industry.
“Korea should stress that, as a trusted partner, it can help strengthen the United States’ capacity to supply enriched uranium,” said Shim Sang-min, senior research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “One option could be building an enrichment facility in Korea to supply low-enriched and high-assay low-enriched uranium to U.S. customers in a stable manner.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK HYUN-JU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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