Amid analysis that Saudi Arabia has secured potential uranium enrichment rights by signing a nuclear agreement with the United States, criticisms have emerged that the Donald Trump U.S. administration is applying a double standard to South Korea.

In an article on the U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement on the 23rd (local time), the New York Times (NYT) pointed out that by concluding an agreement that could pave the way for Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own soil, Washington has provoked the inevitable question from Seoul: "Why can Saudi Arabia do it, but we cannot?"

Highlighting South Korea's membership in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), its acceptance of strict safeguards, and its experience operating 26 nuclear reactors, the NYT assessed that it constitutes a double standard against South Korea that Saudi Arabia, which has not even built a single nuclear power plant yet, has secured potential enrichment rights while South Korea has long negotiated with the U.S. for uranium enrichment rights.

It also reported that while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously vowed that his country would acquire nuclear weapons if Iran develops them, South Korea has repeatedly promised that it will never pursue nuclear weapons.

The newspaper argued that while "this agreement raises expectations for progress in negotiations on nuclear cooperation between South Korea and Washington," it could also "plant the seeds of a deep rift in the 70-year alliance if Washington continues to ignore Seoul's demands."

The South Korean government maintains the stance that enrichment and reprocessing are necessary for the smooth utilization of nuclear fuel strictly from the perspective of 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 nuclear fuel reprocessing for South Korea's peaceful use, consistent with the U.S.-ROK nuclear cooperation agreement 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 benefit U.S. businesses, workers, and supply chains by providing U.S. companies with broad participation in Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program, while also contributing to Saudi Arabia's energy needs."

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

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

(Reported by JIN Sang-myeong | Video by Hong Jin-young | Produced by SBS Digital News)