April 25, 2024

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Korea’s Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang (third from left) holds talks with Czech’s Senate President Milos Vystrcil (second from right) on bilateral ties in Prague on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

SEJONG -- South Korea has recently carried out a senior-level promotion of its nuclear energy technologies in the Czech Republic, in an attempt to win a reactor project in the European nation, the Energy Ministry said Wednesday.

At the center of the promotion activities was South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang’s meetings with Czech senior officials and political heavyweights in Prague on Tuesday.

In a meeting with his counterpart Jozef Sikela, Lee commented on details of Korea’s advanced nuclear energy technologies and management capabilities.

Lee, in particular, stressed in front of participants that Korean technologies have already been acknowledged on the global stage through its Barakah project in the United Arab Emirates. Korea has successfully constructed four nuclear reactors in Barakah, UAE.

The Czech Republic aims to build a reactor with a power generation capacity of up to 1,200 megawatts in Dukovany, in the country’s southeast. The nation, which started a bidding process in March, is scheduled to receive bids in November from several contenders.

Minister Jozef Sikela stressed the significance of nuclear energy in its government’s energy policy, comparing it to that of the new administration in Korea, said South Korea’s Energy Ministry.

Sikela also mentioned the importance of coordination among “like-minded” countries in terms of freedom and democracy, the ministry said.

On the same day, Lee met with Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, who called for Korean officials’ attention to the potential establishment of a direct flight route between the two nations and Korea’s continuous support for Ukraine.

The two figures also discussed the nuclear power project and other industrial relations, according to the ministry.

The visit was meaningful in that it restores the nuclear energy industry under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, and marks the renewed seeking of national wealth via overseas bids, the ministry added.

 President Yoon is scheduled to hold a summit on the sidelines of the NATO summit with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in Madrid on Thursday, where the project will likely be mentioned. The Czech Republic is one of the 30 NATO members.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)