Gyeongju Mayor Jun Nakyoung: "Munmu Daewang Science Research Institute Will Serve as Foundation for Nuclear Submarine Propulsion Technology"

"Development of SMR (Small Modular Reactor) Enables Conversion for Naval Deployment... The Roots of This Technology Are in Gyeongju"
"The Waters off Gampo, Imbued with the Spirit of Silla's National Defense, Are Becoming the Foundation for Korea's Strategic Technologies"

Jun Nakyoung, Mayor of Gyeongju, recently posted on his social networking service (SNS) that "the Munmu Daewang Science Research Institute, currently under construction in Gampo, could serve as the foundation for nuclear-powered submarine propulsion technology in the future."

At the recent Korea-U.S. summit held in Gyeongju, President Lee Jaemyung requested approval from U.S. President Donald Trump for technological cooperation on the development of nuclear-powered submarines in Korea, and it was reported that President Trump agreed to this in principle.

Mayor Jun Nakyoung of Gyeongju posted a related article on his Facebook along with a bird's-eye view of the Munmu Daewang Science Research Institute.

As a result, Korea has now established both institutional and technological foundations for the construction of nuclear-powered submarines.

Regarding this, Mayor Jun explained, "Although the Munmu Daewang Science Research Institute does not directly develop military nuclear propulsion systems, the SMR (Small Modular Reactor) currently under development is considered to have a structure that can be converted for use on naval vessels."

He added, "This technology could be used as a foundational technology for the development of nuclear-powered submarine propulsion systems in the future."

He continued, "Gyeongju is expected to become a decisive hub for securing nuclear propulsion technology," adding, "In the waters off Gampo, imbued with the spirit of national defense of King Munmu, who unified Silla, a core national research infrastructure is being established to prepare for Korea's future in energy and marine science."

The Munmu Daewang Science Research Institute is a research facility for the development and demonstration of shipboard reactors, currently being built by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in the Gampo-eup area.

Here, projects are underway to verify the safety and effectiveness of nuclear propulsion technology through land-based demonstrations.

Mayor Jun stated, "Gyeongju is becoming a city where advanced science is added to a thousand years of history, and a fertile ground for Korea's strategic technologies," and added, "We look forward to seeing what kind of synergy related industries, such as the SMR (Small Modular Reactor) industrial complex being promoted by our city, will create with the K-Nuclear Submarine Construction Project."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.