Amid analysis that Saudi Arabia has secured potential uranium enrichment authority by signing a nuclear agreement with the United States, criticism has emerged that the Donald Trump administration is applying a double standard toward South Korea.

In an article on the U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement on the 23rd (local time), The New York Times (NYT) pointed out, "By entering into an agreement that could pave the way for Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own soil, Washington has triggered an unavoidable question from Seoul: Why Saudi Arabia and not us?"

Highlighting South Korea's adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), its acceptance of strict safety measures, and its experience operating 26 nuclear reactors, the NYT noted that South Korea has long negotiated with the U.S. for uranium enrichment rights. It assessed that granting potential enrichment authority to Saudi Arabia, which has not even built a nuclear power plant yet, amounts to a double standard against South Korea.

The newspaper also reported that while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has publicly stated that his country would acquire nuclear weapons if Iran develops them, South Korea has repeatedly promised never to pursue nuclear weapons.

It further argued, "While this agreement raises expectations for progress in nuclear negotiations between South Korea and Washington, if Washington continues to ignore Seoul's demands, it could sow the seeds of a deep rift in their 70-year alliance."

The South Korean government maintains the position that enrichment and reprocessing are necessary for the smooth utilization of nuclear fuel, strictly for the peaceful and commercial use of nuclear energy.

Through a joint fact sheet released following the South Korea-U.S. summit last November, South Korea secured a political agreement stating, "The United States supports procedures that would lead to civilian uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses in the Republic of Korea, consistent with the U.S.-ROK Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Civil Uses of Nuclear Energy and in compliance with U.S. legal requirements."

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the previous day that it had signed a nuclear agreement (a 123 Agreement) with Saudi Arabia, stating that it "will provide U.S. companies with broad participation in Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program, benefiting U.S. businesses, workers, and supply chains, while also contributing to Saudi Arabia's energy needs."

U.S. media outlets reported that the agreement could potentially allow Saudi Arabia to enrich and reprocess its own nuclear material, paving the way for the future production of weapons-grade nuclear material.

Meanwhile, President Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social that day stating that he would approve the 123 Agreement with Saudi Arabia, but conditioned it entirely on Saudi Arabia joining the highly respected and successful Abraham Accords, demanding normalization of relations with Israel as a prerequisite.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)