Sent Secret Envoy for "Persuasion After Persuasion"... Yoon Behind Czech Nuclear Power Triumph

Sent as Secret Envoy by Industry Minister for Persuasion Again and Again
At Czech Summit, Requested "Support"
Yoon Anxiously Waited, Cheered "Done" When Results Came Out
Foreign Media Reports 'Korean Achievement'... Trebic Mayor "Congratulations"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the 27th "Public Livelihood Discussion with the People: Jeonbuk, the Economic Forward Base Opening the New West Coast Era," held on the 18th at JB Group Aurum Campus in Jeongeup-si, Jeonbuk.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

It has been reported that President Yoon Suk-yeol and the government engaged in intense behind-the-scenes sales efforts for South Korea to be selected as the preferred negotiator for the new nuclear power plant construction project in the Czech Republic, valued at 24 trillion won, surpassing competitor France. President Yoon reportedly sent secret envoys and a personal letter to the Czech Republic to persuade them and anxiously awaited the results until the very end.

According to the presidential office on the 18th, Minister Ahn Deok-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy visited the Czech Republic twice in the past two months as President Yoon’s secret envoy, meeting with Czech government officials and explaining the competitiveness of Korean nuclear power. A presidential office official said, "We met with various local institutions to explain what kind of competitiveness we have and how we can complete this project."

The 'Team Korea,' united to win the Czech nuclear power project, sent tens of thousands of pages of documents to the Czech government. Although France, geographically closer to the Czech Republic, had an advantage, Korea emphasized its decades-long consistent experience in constructing, operating, and maintaining nuclear power plants, as well as its commitment to strictly adhere to the schedule and budget after winning the contract.

As a result, nearly 200 Czech experts concluded that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was superior to ?lectricit? de France (EDF) in all aspects, and the cabinet meeting unanimously supported Korea. Korea received high evaluations not only for competitive construction costs but also for construction capabilities and technology transfer commitments. It is also analyzed that Korea’s successful execution of the 2009 Barakah nuclear power project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had an influence.

Minister Andeok Geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (right) is giving a briefing on the selection of the preferred negotiator for the new nuclear power plant construction project in the Czech Republic at the Government Sejong Complex on the morning of the 18th. On the left is Hwang Juho, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon also made strenuous diplomatic efforts to secure the Czech nuclear power project.

At the Korea-Czech summit, President Yoon asked Czech President Petr Pavel for support, saying, "I would appreciate it if you could lend your strength," and President Pavel reportedly only responded with "I can't comment," indicating no definitive answer at the time. Instead, the Czech government reportedly informed the Korean government via a 'hotline' before making any official public announcement after reaching a final decision.

Some have pointed out that Korea was selected as the preferred negotiator because of its lower nuclear power construction costs, which implies 'lower profits.' However, a presidential office official said, "Having lower costs is professionally referred to as having higher competitiveness," adding, "It shows how competitive we are."

Regarding concerns that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s ongoing lawsuit with the U.S. company Westinghouse might be an obstacle to signing an independent contract, the official explained, "Considering the Korea-U.S. relationship and recent U.S. cooperation, the Czech Republic judged that this would not be much of a problem."

President Yoon reportedly cheered "It’s done" upon hearing the news of Korea being selected as the preferred negotiator by the Czech government late at night. Sung Tae-yoon, director of the presidential policy office, waited until late afternoon to hold a briefing, evaluating, "A foothold has been established for exporting our nuclear power plants to Europe, the birthplace of commercial nuclear reactors."

Sung Tae-yoon, Chief of Policy Office at the Presidential Office (left), and Park Chun-seop, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs, are attending a briefing on the selection of the preferred bidder for the new nuclear power plant construction project in the Czech Republic on the afternoon of the 17th at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The presidential office stated that major foreign media outlets are also focusing on South Korea’s selection as the preferred negotiator for the Czech new nuclear power plant project as a 'diplomatic achievement of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.' In fact, major media in the U.S., France, Germany, and others unanimously reported that the Czech government preferred KHNP over EDF for the nuclear power plant construction project.

V?clav Jonas, chairman of the Dukovany Energy Council, said in a congratulatory video, "Korea was rated the best due to the effort and dedication shown in the Dukovany nuclear power plant bid," adding, "We hope the nuclear power plant construction will be successfully carried out and that cooperation with our region will continue."

Pavel Pa?al, mayor of T?eb??, also said, "We highly appreciate the cooperation, passion, and honesty of the Korean side," and added, "On behalf of the citizens of T?eb??, I sincerely congratulate you and look forward to future cooperation with Korea."

President Yoon emphasized at the 27th 'Public Discussion on Livelihoods' held at JB Group Aurum Campus in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, that "This is a great achievement 15 years after winning the Barakah nuclear power project, and the amount is incomparably larger than back then," adding, "Above all, it is very meaningful that our chances of exporting nuclear power plants to Europe have increased."

President Yoon said, "The nuclear power industry was on the brink of collapse overall, but by overcoming the nuclear phase-out policy and recovering the nuclear power industry in line with global trends, our entire industry and region will greatly benefit."

He added, "The global nuclear power market is estimated by the U.S. Department of Commerce to be worth 1,000 trillion won," and said, "We will continue to establish footholds in the international nuclear power market so that many citizens can have good jobs here and that our economy can develop, managing this well as a starting point."

Dukovany, the planned site for a new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic [Image source=Yonhap News]