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Bill Gates Visits South Korea to Deepen SMR Cooperation with Korean Companies

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, founder of TerraPower, and chairman of the Gates Foundation, visited South Korea on August 13. This marks his first visit to the country since August last year, with the primary agenda of expanding cooperation in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs). At approximately 9:20 p.m. local time on the 13th, Gates arrived at Gimpo Business Aviation Center at Seoul Gimpo Airport via private jet. During his visit, he plans to meet with figures from the South Korean government, the National Assembly, and the business community. It is reported that Gates is scheduled to meet with South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on the 14th, with the meeting having been proposed by Gates' side...

2026-08-14

South Korea's Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2, 3, and 4 Pressure Tube Procurement Pushed for Preliminary Feasibility Study Exemption, Sparking Controversy

The lifetime extension issue for South Korea's Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2, 3, and 4 has not yet been finalized, yet the procurement of pressure tubes—the core equipment—is being pushed to be excluded from the preliminary feasibility study, triggering a direct confrontation between industry circles and environmental groups. The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power labor union recently submitted a proposal to Democratic Party lawmaker Song Young-gil, requesting that the government grant a preliminary feasibility study exemption for the relevant procurement and initiate ordering at the earliest opportunity. Song subsequently forwarded the opinion to the Office for Government Policy Coordination. It is understood that the government is internally considering submitting the matter as an exemption case for deliberation at the September State Council meeting. Supporters argue that Wolsong Units 2, 3, and 4 are pressurized heavy water reactors, and pressure tubes are critical equipment determining unit operation, from order placement...

2026-08-13

Climate change impact assessment to be conducted for new nuclear power plant in Yeongdeok, South Korea

South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced on August 12 that the proposed Yeongdeok nuclear power plant will undergo a climate change impact assessment in parallel with the strategic environmental impact assessment procedure. The assessment will be conducted in accordance with the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, focusing on reviewing the project's alignment with higher-level plans such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), and evaluating greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation measures during the construction and operation phases. The assessment will cover the entire lifecycle of the nuclear power plant, from construction to operation. While the nuclear power generation process itself emits almost no greenhouse gases, emissions will still arise from large-scale civil engineering works, operation of construction equipment, and the production and transportation of building materials...

2026-08-13

South Korea Sets 2035 Commercialization Target for Small Modular Reactors

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) of South Korea announced on August 12 its "Seven Future Growth Engines SEED" promotion plan, designating small modular reactors, nuclear fusion, and next-generation renewable energy as key focus areas for the future clean energy sector. Among these, nuclear power-related content primarily centers on the commercialization of small modular reactors, research and development of non-light water reactor-type reactors, nuclear fuel supply security, and fusion demonstration power generation. According to the plan, South Korea will advance the development of light water reactor-type small modular reactors, targeting commercialization in Gijang County, Busan by 2035. The innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR) will undergo detailed design through public-private cooperation starting next year...

2026-08-13

HD Hyundai Chairman to Meet Bill Gates to Advance SMR Cooperation

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun will meet Bill Gates, who is visiting South Korea, on August 14, with the two sides planning discussions on cooperation in small modular reactors (SMRs). Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, also serves as chairman of TerraPower, a U.S. small modular reactor company. This will be the latest round of communication between Chung and Gates on related cooperation, following their meeting earlier this year at the Davos Forum in Switzerland. HD Hyundai and TerraPower have been steadily strengthening cooperation in SMR and advanced reactor manufacturing in recent years. In November 2022, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering invested $30 million in TerraPower. In December 2024, HD Hyundai secured an order to manufacture the reactor vessel for TerraPower's 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) to be built in Wyoming, U.S.

2026-08-13

South Korea's Two Ministries Sign MOU to Promote Regulatory Cooperation for Nuclear Power Exports

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) signed a memorandum of understanding on the successful overseas expansion of Korean-style nuclear power plants at the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation in Jongno-gu, Seoul on August 13, planning to strengthen regulatory coordination in the nuclear power export process and provide more systematic nuclear safety regulatory cooperation support to countries hosting potential projects. Under the agreement, the two sides will jointly support export target countries in establishing nuclear safety regulatory frameworks, improving licensing procedures and technical standards, and enhancing the professional capabilities of regulatory bodies, based on the regulatory cooperation needs raised by these countries. The South Korean government is promoting nuclear power plant exports with a focus on potential markets in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, and the relevant countries are in the process of planning and...

2026-08-13

Korea Fusion Energy Institute Launches Design and Manufacturing of ITER Tritium Storage and Supply Vessels

The Korea Fusion Energy Institute (KFE) announced on August 12 at its headquarters in Daejeon that it has signed a contract with a consortium comprising Iljin Power and Aizen Core to undertake the design and manufacturing of the tritium storage and supply vessels for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER is currently the world's largest fusion experimental device, being jointly constructed by seven parties—Korea, the United States, the European Union, Japan, China, Russia, and India—in Cadarache, southern France. Under the procurement agreement signed between KFE and the ITER Organization in March 2025, Korea...

2026-08-12

LG Electronics Launches FDA-Approved 40-Inch Diagnostic Monitor for B2B Medical Imaging Market

LG Electronics announced on August 12 that it has launched a new 40-inch diagnostic monitor, the 40HT513D, targeting the business-to-business (B2B) medical display market. The product has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is primarily intended for medical image interpretation. According to the company, the 40HT513D features a curved IPS black panel with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 5120×2160, delivering approximately 11 million pixels. LG Electronics stated that this design consolidates image reading tasks that previously required three 3-megapixel monitors into a single screen. Physicians can simultaneously view and compare current and historical images from X-ray, CT scans, and MRI scans on the same display...

2026-08-12

Cooling seawater temperature at South Korean nuclear power plants approaches design limit

South Korean Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan said on August 11 that due to recent rises in seawater temperature, the temperature of seawater used for cooling at South Korean nuclear power plants has approached the design limit. The government is working with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to study countermeasures such as adjusting the location of water intake points. Kim Sung-hwan made the remarks on the same day while answering a question from lawmaker Park Ji-hye at a plenary session of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, stating that the temperature of seawater used for cooling at nuclear power plants has recently approached the limit, and that KHNP and the government are closely monitoring the situation. He said nuclear power plants cannot be easily shut down over this issue...

2026-08-12

South Korea Designates Small Modular Reactors and Nuclear Fusion as Key Future Growth Technologies

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will chair a briefing session on the "Seven Seeds for Future Growth Engines" at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on the afternoon of August 12, focusing on the development pathways for advanced technologies including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and nuclear fusion, as well as related industrial ecosystems and supply chain security measures. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the meeting aims to jointly study advanced technology deployment with the science and industry communities, support artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, and strengthen South Korea's future industrial foundation capabilities. The seven areas designated as priorities include Small Modular Reactors, nuclear fusion, renewable energy, quantum technology, aerospace, advanced biotechnology, and advanced materials and component supply chains....

2026-08-12

North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, increases temporary radiation disaster shelters to 96

North Gyeongsang Province announced on August 11 that it has increased the number of temporary radiation disaster shelters from 56 to 96 to enhance resident evacuation and accommodation capabilities in nuclear accident scenarios. The expansion primarily targets the areas surrounding Uljin County, where the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant is located, focusing on addressing the shortage of nearby accommodation capacity and strengthening the reception capability for evacuees in areas related to the Hanul radiation emergency planning zone, including Uljin, Yeongyang, and Bonghwa. Previously, due to limited shelter capacity in Uljin County, approximately 33,000 people were expected to require evacuation in the event of a nuclear accident, while local shelters could only accommodate about 13,000 people. To meet accommodation needs, Uljin County also had to utilize 5 shelters in Gyeongju and 2 in Pohang, with long-distance transfers being unfavorable for rapid evacuation.

2026-08-12

Automatic Reactor Trip at Unit 3 of Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant During Commissioning

Unit 3 of the Shin-Kori nuclear power plant in Ulju, Ulsan, South Korea, is undergoing commissioning ahead of its planned commercial operation this year. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) stated that it had received a report from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) that the unit's reactor automatically tripped at approximately 20:56 on the 11th. Unit 3 of the Shin-Kori plant received its operating license from the NSSC in December last year and is currently in the power ascension testing phase. KHNP reported that during the commissioning test, when reactor power reached 80%, the unit experienced a loss of power transmission, and the reactor subsequently tripped automatically. The unit has been confirmed to remain in a safe shutdown condition...

2026-08-12

South Korea's Nuclear Energy Paper Output Ranks High but Quality Impact Remains Low

According to the report "Academic Competitiveness Analysis in Five Core and Emerging Technology Fields of the United States" released by the National Research Foundation of Korea on the 12th, from 2016 to 2025, South Korea's paper output in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, biotechnology, and quantum information has maintained a certain level of competitiveness overall. Among these, the number of papers in the semiconductor field ranked 4th globally, artificial intelligence and nuclear energy both ranked 7th, biotechnology ranked 8th, and quantum information ranked 14th. The quantitative and qualitative status of South Korea in the five major fields. Excerpted from the National Research Foundation of Korea report. The report is based on analysis of data from SciVal, the research performance analysis platform of Elsevier. In terms of the share of South Korean papers in the global total...

2026-08-12

South Korea Establishes New Specialized Agency to Advance Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Project

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense stated on the 11th that President Lee Jae-myung presided over a State Council meeting that day, deliberating and approving amendments to the "Enforcement Decree on the Organization of the Ministry of National Defense and Its Affiliated Agencies" and the "Enforcement Decree on the Organization of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Its Affiliated Agencies." Under the amendments, South Korea will establish a new specialized agency to advance the nuclear-powered submarine construction project. According to the relevant arrangements, a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Policy Planning Group will be established under the Ministry of National Defense, responsible for coordinating the formulation of policies and systems required for nuclear-powered submarine construction and facilitating cooperation among relevant agencies. On the side of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the existing Korean Submarine Project Group is planned to be reorganized and expanded into a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Group, with the concurrent establishment of a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Team and a Nuclear Power System Project Team...

2026-08-12

Korean Research Team First to Quantitatively Reveal Radiation Degradation Mechanisms in Gallium Arsenide Semiconductors

A semiconductor research team in Korea has recently succeeded, for the first time in the country, in quantitatively identifying the performance degradation mechanisms of gallium arsenide (GaAs) compound semiconductors under radiation environments. Gallium arsenide is regarded as a key material for next-generation aerospace, aviation, and defense systems, and the findings contribute to understanding the impact of high-energy radiation on the reliability of compound semiconductor devices. The research was led by Professor Kim Min-soo and Professor Hwang Hyun-jun from the Department of Semiconductor Engineering, in collaboration with the Advanced Radiation Research Center at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and WaveTrack Corporation. The research team noted that communication and power equipment aboard low-Earth-orbit satellites or detectors, when exposed to high-energy radiation environments over extended periods, may experience...

2026-08-11