Korea, South Africa agree to promote nuclear power cooperation

President Lee Myung-bak and South African President Jacob Zuma pledged at a summit Tuesday to continue to work for nuclear power cooperation between the two countries, the presidential office said.

The two leaders met bilaterally on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul.

They also agreed to provide active support for companies of the two countries in developing mineral resources, such as coal, chrome and rare earth materials, the office said in a statement.

Currently, nuclear power comprises only about 5 percent of South Africa's entire electricity generation. The country plans to double its electricity production to 80 gigawatts by 2025 to help address a power shortage, and it wants to get 25 percent of that from nuclear power plants.

Korea hopes to participate in atomic power plant construction projects in the country.

Seoul has been stepping up efforts to export nuclear power plants since Korean firms won a $18.6 billion project in late 2009 to build four atomic power plants in the United Arab Emirates after beating their U.S., Japanese and French rivals. (Yonhap)