Lee says Trump proposed '50-50 partnership' on enriched uranium production
Published: 03 Dec. 2025, 19:00
Updated: 03 Dec. 2025, 19:32
![President Lee Jae Myung holds a foreign press conference at the guesthouse of the Blue House in Seoul on Dec. 3, marking one year since the declaration of martial law. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/03/cfa8cebf-cef3-4492-8c3c-a3039202a3e5.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung holds a foreign press conference at the guesthouse of the Blue House in Seoul on Dec. 3, marking one year since the declaration of martial law. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that South Korea produce enriched uranium domestically and enter a “50–50 partnership” with the United States — the first time such a remark has been disclosed publicly.
The presidential office said “no further discussions have taken place,” but the comment drew attention as it could signal a shift toward a model in which South Korea produces enriched uranium — previously sourced in large part from Russia — and generates shared economic benefits with its ally.
Speaking at a foreign press conference at the guesthouse of the Blue House on the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, Lee recounted his Oct. 29 summit with Trump.
“President Trump asked where Korea imports nuclear fuel such as uranium from,” said Lee. “When I replied that 30 percent comes from Russia, he said that if Korea produces enriched uranium on its own, ‘there will be a lot left over.’”
According to Lee, Trump then proposed that the two countries “become partners on a 50–50 basis.” The idea aligns with Seoul's longstanding argument that strengthening South Korea–U.S. nuclear cooperation — including expanded South Korean authority on enrichment and reprocessing — is strategically useful in countering China and Russia.
What a “50–50 partnership” would mean in the context of uranium enrichment remains unclear. Because Korea has no enrichment experience, the concept may imply U.S. support in technology, personnel or equipment.
Lee also said Trump assigned the matter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a deviation from historical nuclear cooperation agreements governing enrichment and reprocessing issues, which are typically handled by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Trump’s choice of Lutnick, Lee suggested, reflects the secretary’s influence. Lutnick reportedly opposed language expanding South Korea’s enrichment and reprocessing authority in the joint fact sheet ahead of its release, an objection that may have been tied to U.S. commercial interests.
![President Lee Jae Myung answers questions from reporters during a foreign press briefing at the guesthouse of the Blue House on Dec. 3. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/03/39f9998c-efa2-487b-88ff-0a6531b53f94.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung answers questions from reporters during a foreign press briefing at the guesthouse of the Blue House on Dec. 3. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Following Lee’s comments, the presidential office issued a separate explanation stating that while a “50–50 cooperation” concept was mentioned at the summit, “it has not been discussed further.” The clarification appeared aimed at tamping down speculation that South Korea’s enrichment authority could be exchanged for profit-sharing or other concessions.
The office added that detailed discussions on Seoul securing enrichment and reprocessing authority “will continue with the United States based on the joint fact sheet.”
Lee Byong-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the United States is unlikely to grant South Korea domestic enrichment authority anytime soon. “Even if South Korea reduces reliance on Russia by shifting to U.S. suppliers or producing enriched uranium domestically, the idea that the United States would take half of the profit is difficult to accept,” he said.
He added that the mere inclusion of enrichment and reprocessing language in the fact sheet “does not in itself constitute a breakthrough,” emphasizing that South Korea must approach the issue cautiously “under an action-for-action principle” that verifies what the U.S. is prepared to offer.
At the press conference, a reporter also asked about government efforts to secure the release of South Koreans detained in North Korea. Lee responded, “This is the first I’m hearing of it,” before turning to National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac to confirm whether South Koreans were being held and when the detentions occurred.
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a news conference at the Blue House in central Seoul on Dec. 3, marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/03/03ff13e0-fcac-4ebe-a8f6-453d34c6bca6.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a news conference at the Blue House in central Seoul on Dec. 3, marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. [AP/YONHAP]
The reporter from NK News, who asked the question, explained the cases in detail, noting that they have long been publicly known through North Korean state media. The South Korean government has repeatedly and publicly demanded their release, and the United Nations has confirmed the detentions multiple times.
North Korea detained six South Koreans between 2013 and 2017 — missionaries Kim Jong-uk, Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil, along with three North Korea–born South Koreans who defected. Pyongyang sentenced them to indefinite terms of hard labor on charges including espionage and illegal border entry and has refused to disclose their condition.
Recent United Nations documents indicate another defector, Park Jung-ho, is also being held, bringing the total number of known South Korean detainees to seven.
Roughly 500 South Korean prisoners of war captured during the Korean War are also believed to remain in the North. Last month, four of the six surviving prisoners of war (POWs) who returned to South Korea by their own means sent a letter to Lee urging the establishment of a national day honoring POWs.
Opposition criticism followed. Conservative People Power Party Rep. Kim Gunn, a former diplomat and the party’s chief negotiator on the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, wrote on Facebook that it was “deeply disappointing that the president was unaware of such a basic fact,” adding that the repatriation of abducted or detained South Koreans “must be a core agenda item” in any dialogue with Pyongyang.
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a news conference at the Blue House in central Seoul on Dec. 3, marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/03/bb616e92-a0ed-4c43-86e0-4d57c86cfc69.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a news conference at the Blue House in central Seoul on Dec. 3, marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. [AP/YONHAP]
Separately, Lee said he had considered apologizing over allegations that the military under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration conducted leaflet operations toward North Korea, but refrained out of concern that the issue could be “politicized as pro-North sympathies.”
On rising China–Japan tensions, Lee said Korea “should play a role in minimizing conflict and, if possible, mediating or coordinating,” though experts noted that meaningful mediation would require leverage or overwhelming military or diplomatic influence — conditions Korea currently lacks.
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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