hankyoreh

US State Department special adviser

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

South Korea and the US failed to reach an agreement on Apr. 18 to amend their Atomic Energy Agreement (AEA). Now the two countries are reportedly considering extending their current agreement by another two years.

They began a sixth round of three-day negotiations in Washington on Apr. 16, with AEA chief negotiator Park No-byeok and US State Department special adviser Robert Einhorn serving as chief representatives.

A South Korean government official said on Apr. 18 that Seoul was now "focusing on creating a substantive agreement."

"Based on the results of these talks, we plan to go through various channels and procedures upon return, before announcing the final decision," the official added.

South Korea was asking for a more "reciprocal and future-oriented" agreement to suit the country's stature as the world's fifth largest nuclear power exporter, arguing that the existing agreement, signed in 1973, put it in a position of dependence on the US.

The government source said the emphasis was on three main areas: processing of spent nuclear fuel, promoting competition in the nuclear power export market, and ensuring a stable supply of fuel.

But Washington balked at accepting the demands, stressing Barack Obama's efforts toward nuclear non-proliferation, sources said. In particular, Washington responded sensitively to South Korea requesting the authority to enrich uranium and reprocess fuel at a time when the North Korean nuclear issue is looming large. It also was said to be an expression of concern that any exception it granted could have a negative impact on ongoing atomic energy agreement negotiations with countries like Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.

The two-year extension plan was reportedly discussed in the later stages of talks after it became apparent that the two sides positions’ were too divided to reach a compromise within the deadline. The current agreement ends on March 19 of next year, but because of US Congress ratification procedures, negotiations will have to wrap up by this June.

Indeed, the extension was mentioned as a strong possibility even before the latest round began for this very reason.

The breakdown looks likely to be a political albatross for South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Since pledging to amend the agreement back in November as a presidential candidate, she has repeatedly stressed her determination to see it through, asking any senior US officials and Congress members visiting South Korea for their cooperation. She also rushed a negotiation team to the US to bridge differences before her own visit for a summit meeting in early May. Now she faces stern resistance in the form of the emphasis put on non-proliferation in the Obama administration's foreign and security policy.

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