Seoul: According to Yonhap News Agency, Wi made the announcement after high-level meetings in Washington on December 16 and 17, where he met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

“We reached an agreement on the timetable for continuing future consultations regarding the implementation of the summit agreements between South Korea and the United States, and we decided to begin consultations to implement the agreements sector by sector starting next year,” Wi was quoted as saying.

He said the consultations would span all major nuclear-related sectors, including uranium enrichment, spent fuel reprocessing and nuclear submarine construction, without assigning priority to any single issue.

Wi also revealed that Seoul and Washington agreed to pursue a separate arrangement under Section 91 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act. The provision allows the U.S. president to authorise the transfer of nuclear materials for military purposes, similar to the framework Washington concluded with Australia under the AUKUS alliance. The move signals South Korea’s push for a comparable exemption to advance its nuclear-powered submarine programme.

The development follows a joint fact sheet released last month after summits in August and October between South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, outlining agreements on trade and security cooperation.

Under the fact sheet, the United States pledged support for steps that could allow South Korea to enrich uranium for civilian use and reprocess spent nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes. Washington also committed to strengthening Seoul’s efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Currently, a bilateral energy agreement permits South Korea to enrich uranium up to 20 percent and reprocess spent fuel only with U.S. approval, effectively limiting independent action in both areas. Reports indicate Seoul is now seeking a formal exemption under Section 91 to move forward with its submarine plans, marking a significant shift in the scope of U.S.–South Korea nuclear cooperation.