Director Wi Seongrak: "U.S. Arms Purchases, Support for U.S. Forces Korea Are Not Additional Concessions"

Wi Seongrak Briefs on April 14
"Spent Nuclear Fuel Authority Not Related to Nuclear Armament"

Seong-Rak Wi, Director of the National Security Office, is briefing on President Lee Jae-myung's G20 tour schedule at the Yongsan Presidential Office press conference room on the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 14th, the Presidential Office stated that the inclusion of U.S. military equipment purchases and support for U.S. Forces Korea in the Korea-U.S. Joint Fact Sheet (JFS) was not the result of any additional concessions made during negotiations.

Wi Seongrak, Director of the National Security Office, made this clarification at the Yongsan Presidential Office when asked whether South Korea's plan to spend $25 billion on U.S. military equipment by 2030 was an addition resulting from the recent negotiations. He explained, "This figure reflects what we had already planned to purchase over a certain period," and added, "It simply quantifies what South Korea has already decided to buy."

Regarding the $33 billion figure for support to U.S. Forces Korea, he also stressed, "There is nothing new about this." Wi explained, "The actual annual defense contribution is just over $1 billion, so even over ten years, it amounts to about $10 billion." He further clarified that the figure in the fact sheet is an estimate that includes all benefits provided over ten years, such as land, roads, and water infrastructure.

He added, "We needed to quantify our contributions to inform the U.S. side, and we used this in negotiations to secure the concessions we needed."

"Spent nuclear fuel authority unrelated to nuclear armament"

When asked whether South Korea would secure authority related to spent nuclear fuel, he replied, "Exactly as stated in the fact sheet," and added, "The United States has agreed to begin a process that would allow us to take the lead in gaining enrichment and reprocessing authority." When asked if this meant South Korea would have the same level of authority as Japan, he said, "This must be finalized through further consultations."

Wi also emphasized, "The authority over spent nuclear fuel and the operation of nuclear-powered submarines are unrelated to nuclear armament. It is simply about using nuclear fuel to power conventional submarines. While these are military submarines, this is not about arming them with nuclear weapons, but about peaceful use."

He added, "The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also determined that Australia receiving nuclear submarines from the United States did not violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)."

Meanwhile, Wi expressed concern, saying, "There may be non-proliferation concerns about South Korea within the United States," and added, "If opinions from outside the government are expressed, the United States may not be able to dispel its doubts about Korean society as a whole."