South Korea, U.S., and Japan Sign MOC to Cooperate on SMR Deployment in Indo-Pacific

South Korea, the United States, and Japan have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to expand the deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in countries across the Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. Department of State announced that on July 7 (local time), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi signed the trilateral MOC to accelerate the deployment of SMRs on the sidelines of the NATO summit held in Ankara, Türkiye.

According to the U.S. Department of State, the purpose of this MOC is to establish a framework for trilateral cooperation to accelerate SMR deployment, with the Indo-Pacific region as the primary focus.

The U.S. Department of State explained that the MOC advances the mutual security interests of the three nations and paves the way for partner countries to meet their energy security needs.

At the signing ceremony, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated, "I am pleased to be here for this event today," adding, "I am confident that SMRs are one of the many areas where we can work together to face the challenges of the world."

Minister Cho further expressed his gratitude for the role U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is playing to achieve peace in the Middle East and other parts of the world, saying, "We are benefiting from it."

Secretary of State Rubio said, "One of the most important issues in the world today is energy security," noting that events in the Strait of Hormuz and other regions serve as a reminder of this.

Secretary Rubio stated, "The trilateral MOC today allows us to advance our joint work on small modular reactors," adding, "SMRs will be the future of producing energy in a very safe, efficient, and cost-effective way, and they will make our economies stronger."

Secretary Rubio also said, "I am very pleased to see that Japan and South Korea continue to visit each other," and added, "I think (this relationship) has become stronger over the last 3 to 4 years."

He added, "This trilateral consultation shows not only the agreement signed today but also more work we will be able to do together in the coming years."

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said, "Since October of last year, we have been making concrete efforts, such as strengthening the resilience of critical mineral supply chains and responding to North Korea's cyber threats."

Foreign Minister Motegi continued, "I welcome the significant achievement of signing the MOC on SMRs," and added, "I look forward to practical discussions at today's meeting that will further advance our cooperation."

The U.S. Department of State stated that the MOC presents opportunities for the three countries, which have complementary strengths in the civil nuclear sector, to encourage mutually beneficial cooperation between their respective nuclear industries.

It also explained that this cooperation framework aims to create a nuclear deployment model that reduces project development risks, achieves economies of scale, promotes private investment, streamlines licensing procedures, and optimizes supply chains.

The U.S. Department of State noted that a coordinated trilateral approach allows companies from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea to offer more competitive alternatives to meet the growing energy demands of partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

It added that as new reactor technologies are gradually deployed, they will ensure adherence to the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation.

To support this initiative, the U.S. has committed over 10 million dollars in new funding for the Department of State's Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program.

This funding will be used to provide technical assistance to help Indo-Pacific countries deploy safe, secure, and reliable nuclear energy, and to establish regional SMR training hubs for SMR project development activities and workforce training.

The U.S. Department of State also announced that GE Vernova, Hitachi, Samsung C&T, and SGE have agreed on an industry initiative to advance the deployment of BWRX-300 SMRs across Europe.

The U.S. Department of State stated that this initiative will help achieve the goals of the MOC signed today and deepen the partnership between government and industry to strengthen global energy security.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.