Official Approval of Korea-US Joint Research Report on Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Technology

Ministry of Science and ICT: "Decision on Continuation of Research After Appropriateness Review"
"It Is Not True That We Have Entered the Demonstration and Commercialization Stage"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The joint research report on used nuclear fuel reprocessing technology (pyroprocessing) conducted by South Korea and the United States has been approved. Future decisions on whether to proceed with additional research will be made after a feasibility review.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 1st, the Joint Fuel Cycle Study (JFCS) Steering Committee recently officially approved the joint report by both countries on pyroprocessing and sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR).

The report includes the technical feasibility, economic viability, and practical potential of pyroprocessing and SFR researched over the past decade by the U.S. Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. The JFCS Steering Committee includes participation from the U.S. Department of State, Department of Energy, and the Nuclear Security Administration, while South Korea is represented by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

Some reports have suggested that the report positively evaluates pyro-SFR technology and that the research has moved into the demonstration and commercialization phase, but the Ministry of Science and ICT denied this.

The Ministry of Science and ICT explained, "The JFCS report is a record of the research process and results between South Korea and the U.S., and does not contain conclusions regarding the feasibility of pyroprocessing. It proposes that further research is necessary." It added, "Reports stating that the research has entered the demonstration phase for commercialization capable of processing saturated spent fuel rods, or that the Ministry of Science and ICT is preparing plans for pyro-SFR demonstration research and commercialization, are not true."

It further stated, "In the future, a feasibility review committee composed of private experts will review the additional research proposed in the JFCS report and determine the future research direction."

Meanwhile, the pyro-SFR technology was first conceptualized by the U.S. Idaho National Laboratory, and South Korea invested approximately 670 billion won in research from 1997 to 2017. However, the technology has not succeeded in commercialization, and concerns about its economic feasibility and safety remain unclear, leading to social disagreement and controversy. In 2018, a reexamination committee was formed at the request of the National Assembly to review the technical data derived from the joint Korea-U.S. research and decide whether to continue the research.

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