According to a diplomatic source, the Uzbek government notified its designation of Seoul as a partnership country for the uranium refinement operation and proposed the related departments in each country discuss the specifics.

Foreign Minister Song Min-soon had previously delivered President Roh Moo-hyun’s letter to his counterpart Uzbek President Islam Karimov asking for cooperation on the issue.

Uzbekistan has been supplying South Korea with 300 tonnes worth of refined uranium, almost 13 percent of Korea’s uranium import, on a three-year contract. The contract was set to expire in 2009. Uzbekistan is said to hold roughly 66-thousand tons of uranium, the tenth largest supply in the world.