South Korea links nuclear export push with regulatory cooperation for first time, targeting Vietnam

South Korea has for the first time established a framework linking nuclear power plant exports with regulatory cooperation, as the government steps up efforts to break into promising Southeast Asian markets, including Vietnam.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission signed an MOU titled "for the successful overseas advancement of Korean-type nuclear power plants" at the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Thursday.

The agreement lets the two agencies jointly respond to regulatory cooperation requests from prospective buyer countries, providing systematic support for building safety regulatory frameworks and strengthening regulatory capacity where needed.

Countries introducing nuclear power for the first time must establish a full regulatory foundation alongside plant construction — covering relevant laws, licensing procedures, technical standards, regulatory expertise, and nuclear safety and security personnel.

Previously, when a target country requested regulatory cooperation, the Trade Ministry would relay the request to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, which then handled it individually with specialized agencies.

Under the new arrangement, the two ministries will continuously share updates on overseas nuclear projects, country-specific regulatory conditions and cooperation needs. They will draw on South Korea's accumulated experience across the full nuclear lifecycle to tailor support to each country's circumstances and project stage.

Alongside the ministerial MOU, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the Nuclear Power Export Association, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control also signed inter-agency agreements.

At a follow-up consultative meeting after the signing, the Trade Ministry and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission reviewed the status of major export projects in Vietnam, the Czech Republic and the Philippines, shared regulatory cooperation case studies from the UAE and the Czech Republic, and discussed cooperation strategies tailored to each country's conditions.

"We will make the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control core partners of Team Korea, and comprehensively respond to the diverse regulatory cooperation needs of new nuclear-adopting countries such as Vietnam," Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan said.

Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairman Choe Won-ho said the commission would "play an active role in nuclear exports by pursuing regulatory cooperation suited to the conditions and needs of target countries, working alongside the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and nuclear export companies."