Deep Interest in KSTAR: Future Energy Source for Power Demand and Carbon Neutrality
Inquiring About Mechanisms That Drive Nuclear Fusion
On November 7, President Lee Jaemyung visited the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, located in the Daedeok Research Complex in Daejeon, ahead of the national briefing session titled "Korea, Dreaming Again of Becoming a Nation of Scientists and Engineers."
This visit was arranged to hear about the progress of research and development (R&D) on nuclear fusion, which is considered a future energy source to address the rapidly increasing power demand and carbon neutrality in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), and to encourage the researchers for their dedication.
President Lee toured the KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) facility, the world's first superconducting nuclear fusion research device, and listened attentively to explanations about its operating principles and research achievements.
After hearing that KSTAR will contribute to creating an environment optimized for power generation through nuclear fusion reactions in the future, President Lee showed keen interest by asking questions such as, "Can the research device be operated permanently?" and "Is it possible to inject fuels like deuterium and tritium continuously for 24 hours?"
President Lee also pointed to KSTAR's 10-meter-high core device and asked, "What kind of research is mainly conducted here?" He continued to inquire about the principles of plasma generation inside the device and the mechanisms that induce nuclear fusion.
Nam Yongwoon, Director of the KSTAR Research Division at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, stated, "Through the construction of KSTAR, we have succeeded in advancing to the ranks of leading nuclear fusion nations," and expressed his ambition to lead the era of commercial nuclear fusion through the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and a Korean-style demonstration reactor.
Accompanying the president on this visit were Vice Prime Minister for Science and Technology Bae Kyunghoon, Policy Chief Kim Yongbeom, Chief of AI Future Planning Ha Jungwoo, and President Oh Youngkook of the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
