Choi Won-ho, the Chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, stated, “The foundation of trust in safety must be laid for the success of next-generation reactors.” Yusang Im, the Minister of Science and ICT, announced on January 10th during the ‘2025 Nuclear Industry New Year’s Meeting’ held at the Westin Joseon Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, saying, “We plan to strengthen investments in developing next-generation nuclear power technologies, such as High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR), Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR), and Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), to establish them as game changers in the future nuclear market.”
Minister Yusang Im emphasized that climate change and the instability of the global energy supply chain require a more significant role for nuclear power, and major global tech companies are participating in next-generation nuclear development to power AI servers and data centers. He also highlighted the importance of creating an innovative ecosystem where the public and private sectors work together as one team, moving away from the traditional public-led paradigm through technology development and commercialization partnerships.
The ‘2025 Nuclear Industry New Year’s Meeting,’ themed “New Opportunities and Challenges for Nuclear Power for Humanity,” had over 200 attendees, including government and industry representatives such as Choi Nam-ho, the Second Vice Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy, and various lawmakers. During his New Year’s greeting, Chairman Choi noted that many countries, including Korea, are choosing nuclear power as a major energy source and investing in next-generation reactor development in response to climate change. He emphasized that public trust in nuclear safety is critical for these efforts to bear fruit.
He also stated that a rational regulatory system would effectively verify the safety of nuclear facilities and prepare the regulatory foundation for innovative small reactors and future reactors. He committed to establishing detailed cooperation plans with importing countries to contribute to nuclear power exports.