South Korea Delays U.S. Investment Briefing as Nuclear Deal Talks Remain Unresolved

South Korea has asked to postpone a parliamentary briefing on its planned investment in the United States, delaying a key step in negotiations over a $350 billion package that could include a minority stake in Westinghouse and a major expansion of U.S. nuclear power capacity.

The country's Industry Ministry said Wednesday that it had requested the postponement of a briefing scheduled for Thursday before a parliamentary committee. The ministry gave no further explanation.

The briefing had been viewed by lawmakers as one of the final steps before Seoul and Washington establish the terms governing South Korea's large-scale investment commitment in the United States.

The two countries are still working through details of the package agreed by U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in October. Under the trade agreement, South Korea committed to invest $350 billion in U.S. manufacturing in exchange for Washington capping tariffs on Korean imports at 15%.

Of that amount, $150 billion has been earmarked for shipbuilding. Seoul and Washington are negotiating how to allocate the remaining $200 billion among projects under consideration.

The delay comes as nuclear power emerges as a potentially important component of those negotiations, with South Korean media reporting that Seoul is considering taking a minority stake in Westinghouse, the U.S. nuclear reactor technology company.

Westinghouse Stake Tied To Wider Nuclear Expansion

Reports in several South Korean outlets, including the Korea Economic Daily, said Seoul is considering financing a minority investment in Westinghouse through its broader U.S. strategic investment fund.

The proposal is reportedly linked to a package that could result in as many as eight new nuclear reactors being built in the United States. Six would use Westinghouse's reactor design, while two would be based on a South Korean model.

Under the reported structure, South Korea would seek more than a purely financial interest in Westinghouse. Seoul wants a seat on the company's board and a role in corporate decision-making, according to the reports.

Washington has been more cautious about those demands, particularly over whether South Korea should receive board representation or voting rights. That difference could be one reason negotiations have yet to produce a finalized structure, although neither government has directly linked the postponement of Thursday's briefing to the Westinghouse discussions.

South Korea's Industry Ministry said the two countries were holding consultations on investment in a U.S. nuclear power project but stressed that no specific details had been finalized.

The potential Westinghouse investment would place nuclear power alongside shipbuilding and other manufacturing projects at the center of South Korea's effort to fulfill its U.S. investment commitment. It would also deepen industrial ties between two countries seeking to expand domestic supply chains for strategically important technologies.

Participation in the U.S. nuclear industry, for Seoul, could provide an opportunity to combine Korean nuclear engineering and manufacturing capabilities with Westinghouse's established reactor technology and position in the American market. For Washington, the proposed investment could support plans to expand nuclear generation in the United States while bringing additional Korean capital and industrial capacity into the sector.

But ownership and governance rights are a more sensitive issue. A minority financial stake does not necessarily provide the influence Seoul appears to be seeking, while board representation and voting rights would give South Korea a more direct role in the company's decisions.

Investment Talks Ahead Of High-Level Meeting

The negotiations are taking place shortly before broader discussions between South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, scheduled for Friday in the United States. The meeting provides an opportunity for the two governments to address unresolved issues surrounding the investment package as well as their wider economic relationship.

The postponement of the parliamentary briefing does not by itself indicate that the broader $350 billion commitment is in jeopardy. It does, however, show that important details remain unsettled even as Seoul and Washington approach a series of high-level diplomatic and economic discussions.

The October trade agreement created the headline size of the investment commitment, but allocating the money among specific projects has proved more complicated. The $150 billion shipbuilding component has been identified, leaving $200 billion for other investments that must satisfy both South Korea's commercial interests and Washington's industrial priorities.

The reported Westinghouse proposal illustrates the complexity of that process. The potential deal combines capital investment, nuclear technology, reactor construction and corporate governance, meaning that the negotiations extend well beyond a conventional investment transaction.

Until the two governments finalize the terms, the precise size, structure and governance arrangements of any South Korean investment in Westinghouse remain uncertain. Currently, Seoul's decision to postpone the parliamentary briefing leaves the investment package without the expected final procedural step, while negotiations continue ahead of Friday's meeting between the two countries' top diplomats.