Nonproliferation expert appointed chief negotiator for nuclear talks with US

Korean Ambassador to Romania Rim Kap-soo has been named as the country's chief negotiator for talks with the United States over Seoul's efforts to secure civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Rim, known as an expert in the non-proliferation field, was named Monday as the government's representative for a task force on nuclear cooperation between Seoul and Washington, according to a ministry official. He worked at the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2016 as a specialist on the global non-proliferation regime. Under a joint fact sheet on summit agreements between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. committed to supporting Korea in its efforts toward civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses. The government will soon launch a task force on bilateral nuclear cooperation, led by the foreign ministry, to proceed with related negotiations. Rim's appointment appears to indicate Korea's commitment to seek civilian uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing while abid