Joint Fact Sheet Announcement Likely to Be Delayed Until Next Week
Coordination on "Nuclear Submarine" Phrasing Taking Additional Time
"Situation Is Gradually Changing, Making It Difficult to Predict Exact Timing of Announcement"
The Office of the President announced that it is currently adjusting certain phrases in the security section of the "Joint Fact Sheet," which is expected to be produced as a result of the South Korea-U.S. negotiations on trade, commerce, and security. As a result, the anticipated announcement of the "Joint Fact Sheet" and the "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)," which was expected within this week, is now likely to be postponed until next week.
On November 7, an official from the Office of the President told reporters, "As the negotiations between South Korea and the United States have extended to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, new issues have arisen," adding, "There was a need to additionally reflect discussions that took place in Gyeongju, and it is taking time as we need to incorporate feedback and reviews from relevant U.S. departments."
The new issue is understood to refer to President Lee Jaemyung’s request for nuclear submarine fuel supply, which he mentioned during his opening remarks at the summit with President Donald Trump. After the summit, President Trump accepted President Lee’s request and granted approval.
In the security sector, the wording was finalized at the first South Korea-U.S. summit in August, but the announcement was withheld due to insufficient progress in the trade and commerce negotiations. However, with the addition of the nuclear submarine-related issue, further negotiations became necessary. After the South Korea-U.S. summit held on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Gyeongju, the wording for the trade and commerce sections was finalized, but additional coordination on the security section is still required, resulting in the delay of the Joint Fact Sheet announcement.
An official from the Office of the President stated, "Since the situation is changing little by little, it is difficult to predict exactly when the fact sheet will be released," and added, "However, we will maintain a consistent position and continue discussions patiently to ensure our stance is reflected."
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