Growing global energy demand and carbon mitigation challenges together drive increasing interest in nuclear power globally, even as the world continues to deal with the aftereffects of the Fukushima accident. With China’s potential to become a dominant civil nuclear vendor and significant difficulties for nuclear energy in U.S. power markets, the imperatives for international cooperation become more apparent. In Korea, the U.S. has a longtime collaborator that possesses many attractive characteristics as a nuclear power exporter, including its successful construction history in key regions such as the Middle East and its image as a politically neutral vendor state. If there can be greater flexibility with regards to perceptions of technology ownership and joint development of advanced next-generation nuclear technologies, both countries can maintain robust nuclear supply chains and maximize market opportunities both domestically and internationally.
