South Korea is to co-operate with the US in optimising nuclear proliferation resistance in its research reactors for export. A joint statement issued by the Korean Ministry of Science & ICT and the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said the two countries plan to collaborate on designing research reactors and associated facilities developed by Korea under NNSA's Proliferation Resistance Optimization-X (PRO-X) programme.
Proliferation resistance refers to a nuclear energy system that impedes the diversion or undeclared production of nuclear material, or misuse of technology with the purpose of acquiring nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The two countries expect their cooperation to help other nations to develop and operate research reactors under the nuclear non-proliferation principles, said South Korea’s Ministry. In addition, South Korea, the US and Japan are planning to sign a memorandum of cooperation later this week to push for the facilitation of joint research projects of research institutes and people-to-people exchanges of the three countries.
The trilateral cooperation plan comes as part of a follow-up to an agreement reached by President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their Camp David summit in 2023 to bolster three-way cooperation in almost all areas, including science and technology.
Image: First Vice Science Minister Lee Chang-yune (right) and Jill Hruby, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration at the signing ceremony (courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT)
