Vice Minister Lee Changyun of Science and ICT Discusses SMR Cooperation with IAEA Deputy Director General

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that on May 8 (local time), Lee Changyun, 1st Vice Minister, visited the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, and held a meeting with Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General of the Department of Nuclear Energy.

During the meeting, Vice Minister Lee introduced the current status of Korea's small modular reactor (SMR) development and expressed Korea's intention to actively participate in IAEA initiatives for SMR technology development. He also shared plans to operate the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) School program in July, aiming to contribute to the training of SMR professionals among member states.

The meeting also included discussions on ways in which Korea's research reactor technology could contribute to the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Vice Minister Lee stated, "As demonstrated by the recent export of research reactor design to the University of Missouri in the United States, we will continue to strengthen efforts to promote research reactors with high nuclear nonproliferation characteristics, thereby contributing to the international community."

On the same day, Vice Minister Lee also met with Han Manuk, President of the Association of Korean Scientists and Engineers in Austria, and other local Korean scientists and engineers who are preparing for the ‘2025 Korea-Europe Conference on Science and Technology’ (EKC 2025) scheduled to be held in Vienna in August, and communicated with Korean scientific and technological professionals residing in Austria.

Lee Changyun, 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT (left), and Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in a meeting. Ministry of Science and ICT

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