Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright that South Korea needs permission to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear fuel for commercial use.

Seoul's foreign ministry announced Friday that Cho met with Wright in New York on Thursday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and exchanged views on nuclear cooperation. 
 
Cho explained that South Korea operates 26 nuclear power plants and needs to secure the complete nuclear fuel cycle, including enrichment and reprocessing, for energy security, stressing that it would do so solely for commercial purposes.

In response, Wright said he would keep the request in mind and discuss the matter with relevant departments within the U.S. administration.
 
The ministry said the two sides agreed that U.S. and South Korean companies should collaborate to take advantage of expanding global demand for nuclear power plants.

They also agreed to promote communication and cooperation at the government level to advance private sector nuclear collaboration, as was discussed during the South Korea-U.S. summit in August.