Following its landmark deal with the UAE, South Korea’s nuclear industry has been seeking to expand both domestically and globally. Nuclear power will remain a critical piece of South Korea’s energy mix during the next few decades, and many countries in regions such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia are seriously considering the establishment of civil nuclear programs. Considering Korea’s domestic commitment to nuclear power and global interest in nuclear energy, Korea is seeking to take a more prominent role in international nuclear power. Although there are challenges to be overcome in the areas of safety, finance, and waste management, South Korea has many advantages to help it assume a leading position in global nuclear commerce, including a robust supply chain, established infrastructure, and strong knowledge and expertise. As Korea plans to build upon its success in the UAE and export additional reactors throughout the world, the US stands to benefit economically from this Korean nuclear renaissance. Not only does the US import materials and components from South Korea for its own nuclear projects, but the two countries are close partners in nuclear energy R&D and the US also exports to South Korea and third countries to supply Korean projects. Korea’s ambitions in nuclear power not only serve to strengthen the US-ROK strategic civil nuclear partnership, but also create economic opportunities jobs in the US—for example, should Korea export ten NPPs, then it would require more than 20 billion USD in equipment and services from US nuclear vendors.
