The United States and South Korea have reached a bilateral agreement on nuclear power that extends the Asian nation's ability to enrich uranium for nuclear power and to reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
On another trade front, President Barack Obama on Tuesday submitted a letter to Congress that seeks to expand nuclear cooperation with China, the world's current leader in planning nuclear power expansion.
A U.S.-South Korea agreement signed in 1974 limited South Korea's fuel processing capabilities due to fears that North Korea would see that as a provocative activity. Talks on the new deal, which gives South Korea greater autonomy, began in October 2010. The old deal originally ended in March 2014, but last year that was extended to March 2015.
South Korea has 23 nuclear power plants and is an exporter of nuclear power plants.
A signing ceremony for the new deal is scheduled for Wednesday in Seoul, the International Business Times reported.
In Washington, President Obama's submitted a request to Congress that would strike a 30-year cooperation agreement with China. A letter to Congress says the deal “would permit the transfer of material, equipment, components, information and technology for nuclear research and nuclear power production.”