Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee, right, poses with Emil Michael, U.S. undersecretary of war for research and engineering, during their meeting at the Pentagon near Washington, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee has called for U.S. congressional support for Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program and efforts to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington during his meetings with U.S. lawmakers, the defense ministry said Thursday.
Lee made the call when he separately met with Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Pat Harrigan (R-NC) in Washington on Wednesday (local time), according to the ministry, as Seoul is pushing to acquire nuclear-propelled naval vessels and source low-enriched uranium for fuel under a summit agreement between the two countries' leaders.
Korea is also working to reclaim wartime OPCON from the U.S. before the Lee Jae Myung government's five-year term ends in 2030.
Lee "asked for continued attention to and support at the U.S. congressional level for Seoul's efforts to acquire low-enriched uranium for nuclear-powered submarines," the ministry said in a release.
