Feb. 9 (Asia Today) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday that the United States has confirmed it will send an interagency negotiation team to South Korea later this month to discuss key elements of a bilateral "security package," including nuclear fuel issues and defense cooperation.
Cho made the remarks while attending a National Assembly question-and-answer session on politics, diplomacy, security and unification. He said the confirmation came during his recent meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding that the visiting delegation would include officials from multiple U.S. government departments.
The talks are expected to cover uranium enrichment, spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding cooperation, areas outlined in a joint fact sheet between the two allies.
Cho cautioned, however, that Washington's plan to raise reciprocal tariffs on South Korean goods from 15% to 25% could still affect the security negotiations. He said he strongly warned U.S. officials that further deterioration in tariff or investment talks should not be allowed to spill over into security cooperation.
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