Advanced nuclear R&D efforts and programs in the Republic of Korea have generally focused on sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), although there has also been work on very-high-temperature reactors (VHTRs). Although a range of advanced reactor and Generation-IV designs were originally considered, the SFR was selected for its technological maturity, actinide burning capabilities, and enhanced safety

South Korea and the United States are well positioned to overcome their domestic energy problems through bilateral international cooperation. Korea has increasingly imported LNG from the United States, and as a result, the two nations have also seen economic benefits in trade and investment. As global energy demand is anticipated to grow, there are market

During the 9th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), a multinational effort called the Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy (NICE) Future Initiative was launched. The NICE Future initiative seeks to elevate discussions about nuclear energy from "traditional, nuclear-only fora to broader multilateral discussions on clean energy at both the ministerial and working levels." To this end, NICE is

The nuclear industries of countries guided by democratic and free market principles are facing various market and government imposed challenges, including escalating regulatory burdens, rising construction costs, adverse domestic power markets, and atrophying supply chains. Perhaps most worrisome, however, is the threat posed by state-owned, vertically-integrated vendors in Russia and China. Not only do governments

The U.S.-South Korea civil nuclear relationship has evolved significantly over the decades--South Korea's civil nuclear program first developed under U.S. technological guidance and patronage, and the two countries' nuclear energy industries and establishments remain closely intertwined. What was once a relationship of tutelage has gradually transformed into a more equal partnership. Korea has established itself