S. Korea, US hold nuclear security working group session

South Korea and the United States held a video-linked session of their Nuclear Security Working Group on Wednesday to discuss cooperation on the minimization of the use of highly enriched uranium and other issues, the foreign ministry said.

The group is among the four working groups under the High-Level Bilateral Commission, which was launched in 2016 following the 2015 revision of the two countries' nuclear energy cooperation agreement.

Park Il, the ministry's director-general for nonproliferation and nuclear affairs, and Leah Cochran, director for nuclear threat reduction at the US National Security Council, jointly led the session that also involved officials from nuclear energy-related agencies in both countries.

"The two sides checked pending issues of nuclear security cooperation between the two countries, and their future course of cooperation," the ministry said in a press release.

The session's agenda included joint efforts to minimize the use of highly enriched uranium for research purposes by transitioning to facilities employing technologies for high-density yet low-enrichment uranium, a ministry official said.

The two sides also discussed ways to enhance the protection of nuclear facilities from potential physical incursions, such as drone-based attacks.

The other working groups attached to the High-Level Bilateral Commission are the Spent Fuel Management Working Group, the Assured Fuel Supply Working Group, the Promotion of Nuclear Export and Export Control Cooperation Working Group. (Yonhap)