South Korea and France Hold Joint Nuclear Energy Meeting in Saclay

Recently, South Korea and France officially launched the 27th Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting on Nuclear Energy in Saclay, southwestern France, to conduct in-depth discussions on deepening cutting-edge technological cooperation between the two countries in nuclear energy R&D, nuclear safety, and the nuclear industry. South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT stated that, as the two countries mark the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, this mechanism, founded in 1982, has become an important platform for advancing the upgrade of the bilateral civilian nuclear energy strategic partnership.

It is reported that this bilateral mechanism was established the year after the signing of the Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy in 1981, and for decades has continued to provide an efficient communication channel for the two governments and research institutions. It is understood that during the two-day meeting, South Korea and France focused on extensive and pragmatic exchanges covering a total of 21 core technical areas, including basic nuclear energy research, nuclear safety regulation, and the nuclear industry supply chain.

The two sides reached an important consensus at the meeting to strictly implement the multiple memoranda of understanding signed during the two bilateral summits in April and September of this year. The two countries plan to further expand the depth of cooperation in the research and development of next-generation advanced nuclear reactors, material testing under extreme environments, and complementarity in the global nuclear energy supply chain, so as to address new challenges in the current international energy transition.

An official from South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT stated that the convening of this Joint Coordinating Committee will be taken as an opportunity to further consolidate the two countries' regular cooperation framework and inject strong momentum into South Korea-France innovation synergy in the civilian nuclear energy field. As global strategic demand for clean energy and advanced nuclear power technologies continues to grow, the two countries are jointly addressing the diversified opportunities of the international nuclear energy market through complementary strengths.