ED Korea-US nuclear cooperation
President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday. AP-Yonhap
President Lee must show leadership to overcome hurdles at home, abroad
Nuclear energy is emerging as a preferred area of cooperation between Korea and the United States, as more nations turn to nuclear power to meet soaring electricity demand in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
At a post-summit briefing in Washington, D.C., on Monday (local time), National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the two countries will hold follow-up meetings to expand cooperation on nuclear energy. He described it as one of the key accomplishments of President Lee Jae Myung’s summit with U.S. President Donald Trump held earlier in the day. “When it comes to nuclear cooperation, I can tell you that several different negotiations are underway,” Wi told reporters, declining to provide further details.
The allies appear well matched. Korea possesses world-class nuclear technology with a proven record in the peaceful use of nuclear power, while U.S. Big Tech companies, driven by the AI revolution, are scrambling to secure reliable energy sources as data centers consume unprecedented amounts of electricity.
In Korea, nuclear power already accounts for more than 30 percent of the country’s electricity supply, and its expertise has been exported abroad successfully. In 2009, Korea stunned the industry by defeating France to win a contract to build four nuclear reactors for the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, a saga widely credited to then-President Lee Myung-bak’s personal diplomacy. Sixteen years later, Korea made headlines again when Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was selected as the preferred bidder to build two reactors at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Station in the Czech Republic, finalizing the deal this June. These successes illustrate how Korea’s technological prowess and summit diplomacy go hand in hand.
The U.S., by contrast, has seen its nuclear development stall since the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, the country’s worst nuclear disaster.
Globally, nuclear power is experiencing renewed attention recently as countries confront looming electricity shortages in the AI era. According to the International Energy Agency, electricity demand from data centers worldwide is expected to more than double by 2030, driven by the energy-intensive needs of both IT equipment and the cooling systems they require.
This nuclear renaissance, reignited more than a decade after the Fukushima crisis cast a shadow over the industry and prompted several countries to suspend plans to build reactors, offers a golden opportunity for countries like Korea to expand their role as global leaders in nuclear energy.
Yet one major obstacle threatens to hinder the Korea-U.S. technology partnership: partisan politics at home.
Nuclear energy exports have long been the project of conservative administrations. Leaders such as former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Yoon Suk Yeol pursued active summit diplomacy, promoting Korea’s nuclear technology abroad as a growth engine. Under Lee, Korea secured its first major nuclear export deal with the UAE, while under Yoon the country was chosen as the preferred bidder to build reactors in the Czech Republic.
Liberal governments, however, have moved in the opposite direction. President Moon Jae-in sought to phase out nuclear power in favor of renewable energy, primarily solar. His liberal successor, President Lee Jae Myung, has largely followed that course, pledging to expand wind power. During a presidential debate ahead of the June 3 election, Lee emphasized safety concerns surrounding nuclear power and argued that renewables offer a safer alternative. Still, questions remain as to whether wind and solar can generate enough electricity to keep pace with surging demand.
Beyond the partisan divide, Korea faces another pressing challenge: how to handle its spent nuclear fuel. Most storage pools at domestic plants are projected to reach full capacity by 2030. To address this, Seoul has sought U.S. approval to reprocess spent fuel, but Washington has long resisted, citing proliferation risks, as reprocessed material can be used to produce nuclear weapons.
During Monday’s meeting at the White House, Trump underscored there has been no change in the U.S. position on nonproliferation. “We can’t let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons,” he told reporters while answering questions from reporters.
With capacity running out, the storage issue has become urgent. To resolve it, Lee will need to engage in careful summit diplomacy to persuade Trump to reconsider. Ultimately, the path forward will hinge on whether Seoul can earn Washington’s trust.