Tehran - BORNA - South Korean officials say the delay appears to be centered on discussions surrounding the request by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump to gain Washington's consent for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine—a topic that the South Korean President publicly raised last month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea.
Reuters reported that after the meeting, officials stated that the two countries would soon release an informational document that included an agreement on security issues, including the submarine, as well as a trade deal first announced during the two presidents' initial summit in July. Under that deal, Seoul would invest hundreds of billions of dollars in US projects in exchange for lower tariffs.
South Korea's Defense Minister said in an interview with KBS News on Sunday: "Since the issue of building a nuclear-powered submarine is still under discussion, it seems that each relevant US ministry needs time to reconcile and adjust the two sides' ideas."
A senior South Korean presidential official said on Friday that Washington had approved Seoul's use of nuclear fuel for the submarine, but that the finalization of the informational document was taking longer because relevant US ministries are still providing feedback and there are still revisions regarding the text.
The South Korean President's position on building such a nuclear submarine domestically contradicts Trump's recent statements on social media, where he had said that the submarine's construction was approved but would be built at an American shipyard.
Analysts say there are doubts about the United States' willingness to transfer sensitive technology. Discussions over the submarine's construction are taking place even as both sides say they have reached an agreement on trade.
Disagreements over the structure of the investment capital budget have prevented any joint agreement following the meetings between the South Korean and US Presidents.
A South Korean Trade Ministry official also said: "Regarding tariffs, the draft can be considered finalized, and we will make it public when the joint informational document is ready for announcement."
The official also said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the $350 billion investment package is ready but has not yet been signed, and the how and when of its signing are also still unclear.
He added: "We are waiting because we need the official announcement to take subsequent steps, such as explaining it to Parliament."
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