Moon Seung-wook, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy (second from right), held a meeting with Andrej Babi?, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (second from left), on the 18th (local time) at the Czech Prime Minister's Office. The meeting was attended by Karel Havl??ek, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Jung Jae-hoon, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Kim Tae-jin, Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and other government and institutional officials from both countries, followed by a commemorative photo session.
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Czech Republic has decided to visit Korea with a nuclear power company delegation led by Karel Havl??ek, Minister of Industry and Trade, to cooperate with Korean companies.
On the 19th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Minister Moon Seung-wook met with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babi? and Minister of Industry Karel Havl??ek on the 18th (local time) to actively pursue nuclear power plant orders.
The Czech Republic plans to build 1 to 2 nuclear power plants each at Dukovany and Temel?n by 2040. First, it plans to place an order for one unit at Dukovany within 2022 (approximately KRW 8 trillion).
During the meeting with Prime Minister Babi?, Minister Moon emphasized that Korea is the optimal partner for the Czech nuclear power project and requested support for Korea to win the nuclear power plant order. Minister Moon introduced the UAE nuclear power plant built by Korea as a representative success case that adhered to the planned budget and schedule, despite delays in many ongoing overseas nuclear power plant construction projects, and expressed confidence in appropriate budgeting and timely construction for the Czech nuclear power project. He also mentioned his experience with the Czech arms industry while serving as deputy head of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, emphasizing that combining Czech manufacturing technology with Korea’s nuclear expertise could yield good results in the Czech nuclear project.
Minister Moon requested the visit of Prime Minister Babi? and Minister Havl??ek to Korea and proposed that if the visit is arranged, he would personally accompany them to demonstrate the safety and excellence of Korean nuclear power. In response, Prime Minister Babi? showed a favorable reaction to Korea’s active participation in the Czech nuclear power project. He stated, "Korea poses no security risk from the Czech perspective, and opposition parties that opposed Chinese and Russian participation in the Czech nuclear project have not expressed opposition to Korea, so there should be no problem with Korea’s bid participation."
The meeting with the Prime Minister, originally scheduled for 30 minutes, lasted over an hour in a friendly atmosphere. After the meeting, Prime Minister Babi? escorted Minister Moon outside the building.
In the meeting with Minister Havl??ek, Minister Moon detailed Korean companies’ nuclear project management capabilities, experience, and preparations for winning the Czech nuclear order. He explained that Korea has built a total of 27 nuclear reactors (26 domestic and 1 overseas) and is currently constructing 7 additional reactors (4 domestic and 3 overseas), demonstrating abundant nuclear construction experience.
In particular, Korea is the country that built the latest nuclear power plant in the UAE, and in addition to Minister Havl??ek’s planned visit to Korea discussed during the Prime Minister meeting, Minister Moon proposed the possibility of also visiting the UAE nuclear power plant. Jeong Jae-hoon, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), who attended the ministerial meeting, stated that if Korea wins the Czech nuclear project, Czech companies will be able to participate immediately alongside Korean companies, as KHNP has already established cooperative relationships with over 160 Czech companies and is promoting joint projects for nuclear technology R&D and nuclear expert training.
Minister Havl??ek emphasized that the participation ratio of Czech companies in the nuclear project will be the most important criterion for selecting the operator and highly evaluated Korea’s preparation status. He also mentioned that he is aware that KHNP is conducting social contribution activities for residents near the Dukovany nuclear site and noted that local government support will be an important evaluation factor. Regarding this, he said that a preliminary security review inquiry will be sent to Korea, the U.S., and France on the 21st and urged Korea to prepare thoroughly.
The two ministers agreed to expand cooperation beyond nuclear power to future advanced industries such as bio and Internet of Things (IoT), as well as new technology fields including hydrogen and artificial intelligence (AI). They reached a consensus on the need to hold the Korea-Czech Industrial Cooperation Committee in the second half of this year for detailed discussions.
After the ministerial meetings, an MOU signing ceremony between companies and institutions of both countries took place. At this event, seven MOUs were signed, including cooperation between KHNP and the Czech Power Industry Association.
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