(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea, U.S. can make 'great' progress in SMRs: State Department official

This will let Google show Yonhap news articles that match or are related to your search

INCHEON, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States have complementary strengths and are capable of driving "great" progress in the nuclear sector amid a heated global race to develop next-generation reactors, a U.S. State Department official said.

Christopher Klein, the deputy assistant secretary for nuclear nonproliferation and commercial competitiveness at the U.S. Department of State, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday, saying the global landscape has transitioned into a "nuclear renaissance."

"We are countries that both have a lot of experience and expertise, and when we work together ... we can achieve great things," Klein said during the interview on the margins of the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power held in Incheon, west of Seoul.

The three-day event, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was held in South Korea for the first time this year.

Klein's comment comes amid growing attention to Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) -- a new class of nuclear power plants -- as countries seek reliable, carbon-free power to meet surging electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers.

The technology is viewed as a more flexible and potentially less costly alternative to traditional large-scale nuclear power plants.

Christopher Klein, the deputy assistant secretary for nuclear nonproliferation and commercial competitiveness at the U.S. Department of State, is seen in this photo taken from the department's official home page. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

It also comes as the U.S. and South Korea have drawn closer in the SMR sector, with local companies actively partnering with U.S. firms in the development and construction of such reactors.

SK Group made financial investments in TerraPower LLC, a U.S. nuclear power company founded by Bill Gates, in 2022 to develop and commercialize SMRs in the U.S. and global markets. Doosan Enerbility, a local nuclear power plant builder, has recently won a supply contract from the U.S.-based SMR developer NuScale Power to supply a key reactor component.

Such tightening private sector ties are being reinforced by institutional efforts.

In July, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) to establish a government-led framework to combine their respective strengths in the nuclear sector to jointly respond to surging energy demand and geopolitical competition.

The three countries agreed to work together in deploying nuclear reactors, supply chain optimization, and knowledge transfer and training, according to a fact sheet on the MOC.

The trilateral agreement is still in its early stages, in which the three countries are closely communicating to identify where to start deploying SMRs together, the U.S. official said. But Washington hopes to move "quickly" toward some actual projects "as soon as possible," he noted.

"I think working together, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan, we wouldn't just survive. ... We would thrive, and I think we would be a formidable competitor around the world (in the nuclear sector)," the official said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

"I look forward to some big announcements to come. There's a big market out there, and there's a competition, and you got to be in it to win it."

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pose with a memorandum of understanding on small modular reactors during a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

fairydust@yna.co.kr (END)

International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power kicks off in S. Korea

Doosan Enerbility wins SMR supply deal from U.S. firm NuScale Power

(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea, U.S. can make 'great' progress in SMRs: State Department official

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

仁川，10月30日（韩联社）——美国国务院一位官员表示，在当前全球竞相开发下一代反应堆的激烈竞争中，韩国和美国优势互补，有能力在核能领域取得“巨大”进步。

美国国务院负责核不扩散和商业竞争力的副助理国务卿克里斯托弗·克莱因周三在接受韩联社独家采访时发表了上述言论，称全球格局已转变为“核能复兴”。

“我们两国都拥有丰富的经验和专业知识，当我们携手合作时……我们可以取得伟大的成就，”克莱因在首尔以西的仁川举行的国际核能部长级会议间隙接受采访时说道。

本次为期三天的活动由国际原子能机构（IAEA）组织，今年首次在韩国举行。

克莱因发表此番评论之际，小型模块化反应堆（SMR）——一种新型核电站——正受到越来越多的关注，因为各国都在寻求可靠的、无碳的电力来满足人工智能（AI）和数据中心带来的激增的电力需求。

这项技术被视为比传统大型核电站更灵活、成本可能更低的替代方案。

这张照片取自美国国务院官方网站，照片中的人物是美国国务院负责核不扩散和商业竞争力的副助理国务卿克里斯托弗·克莱因。（照片禁止出售）（韩联社）

与此同时，美国和韩国在小型模块化反应堆（SMR）领域也走得越来越近，韩国本土企业积极与美国企业合作，共同开发和建造此类反应堆。

SK集团于2022年对比尔·盖茨创立的美国核电公司TerraPower LLC进行了投资，旨在开发小型模块化反应堆（SMR）并使其在美国和全球市场实现商业化。韩国本土核电站建设商斗山能源近期从美国SMR开发商NuScale Power手中赢得一份供应合同，为其提供关键反应堆部件。

这种日益紧密的私营部门联系正得到制度性努力的加强。

7 月，韩国、美国和日本签署了一份合作备忘录 (MOC)，旨在建立一个政府主导的框架，将各自在核能领域的优势结合起来，共同应对不断增长的能源需求和地缘政治竞争。

根据合作备忘录的情况说明书，三国同意在部署核反应堆、优化供应链以及知识转移和培训方面开展合作。

这位美国官员表示，三方协议仍处于初期阶段，三国正在密切沟通，以确定何时开始共同部署小型模块化反应堆。但他指出，华盛顿希望“尽快”推进一些实际项目。

“我认为，美国、韩国和日本携手合作，不仅能够生存下去……而且会蓬勃发展，我认为我们将成为世界（核能领域）一个强大的竞争对手，”这位官员说道，他指的是韩国的正式名称。

“我期待着未来能有一些重大消息公布。市场很大，竞争也很激烈，想要成功就必须参与其中。”

2026年7月7日，在土耳其安卡拉举行的北大西洋公约组织领导人峰会期间，韩国外长赵显铉（右）、美国国务卿马可·卢比奥（中）和日本外相茂木敏充举行三方会谈，并签署了关于小型模块化反应堆的谅解备忘录。（美联社发布）

fairydust@yna.co.kr (完)

国际核能部长级会议在韩国开幕

斗山能源赢得美国公司NuScale Power的小型模块化反应堆（SMR）供应合同

（韩联社采访）美国国务院官员称，韩国和美国可以在小型模块化反应堆（SMR）领域取得“巨大”进展。