1. The second plenary meeting of the Republic of Korea-United States High Level Bilateral Commission will take place on August 16 in Washington, D.C.

o The meeting will be co-chaired by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun and U.S. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette, and attended by nearly 60 officials from U.S. and ROK government ministries and agencies working in the field of nuclear energy.

2. The High Level Bilateral Commission is a standing consultative body established under the revised Agreement for Cooperation Between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, that entered into force in 2015. The Republic of Korea and the United States formed four Working Groups* under the Commission.  Each working group has pursued a range of cooperative projects in accordance with its work plan.

* The Spent Fuel Management Working Group, The Assured Fuel Supply Working Group, The Promotion of Nuclear Export and Export Control Cooperation Working Group, and The Nuclear Security Working Group

3. In the upcoming meeting, the Republic of Korea and the United States will discuss key issues of mutual interest including the two countries’ nuclear energy policy, nuclear export, nuclear safety, decommissioning, non-proliferation and nuclear security. The sides also will review progress on cooperation under each Working Group.

o In addition, the Joint Standing Committee on Nuclear Energy Cooperation (JSCNEC) and the Joint Fuel Cycle Study (JFCS), two U.S.-ROK consultative bodies on nuclear energy between the Republic of Korea and the United States that have been in place will brief the HLBC. The two sides will also share information on cooperation between the two countries’ nuclear safety regulatory organizations.

4. The forthcoming meeting, that will mark the first since the inauguration under the Moon and Trump Administrations, will serve as a forum to reaffirm both governments’ commitment to strengthening their strategic bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy matters between the Republic of Korea and the United States and to identify new areas of cooperation.

* unofficial translation