DAEJEON — The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute said on the 13th that it held an expert symposium on accelerating small modular reactors at Nine Tree Premier Yongsan in Seoul, drawing about 100 participants from industry, academia and research and development. The event sought ways to speed up the deployment of Korean-designed SMRs to meet power demand that is expected to surge sharply because of the three mega projects and other initiatives. Participants agreed that power supply sources must also be expanded in a timely manner to support key industries represented by the three mega projects.
The symposium was divided into three sessions: the domestic power outlook and SMR demand, the status of SMR development and commercialization in Korea, and policy proposals to bring forward SMR deployment.
"We were able to identify a range of tasks that need to be addressed to bring forward the deployment of Korean-designed SMRs," said Jung Woo-sik, president of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. "We will do our utmost to ensure that SMRs grow into an energy source supporting an artificial intelligence-driven South Korea and into a next-generation export industry."