Korea, Romania discuss closer ties in nuclear energy, defense

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun speaks during a meeting held in Cheongju in this photo released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, March 18. Yonhap

Korea's industry ministry said Monday it has discussed ways to broaden its industrial partnership with Romania focusing on the nuclear energy and defense sectors.

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun met his Romanian counterpart, Stefan Radu Oprea, in Seoul to share ideas on expanding cooperation in trade and investment, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

During the meeting, the two countries shared a consensus on seeking carbon neutrality, with Romania vowing support for Korea's Carbon-Free Energy initiative, or CFE, proposed by President Yoon Suk Yeol during his keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Korea also emphasized that Asia's No. 4 economy will stand as the most optimal partner for Romania in the nuclear energy sector, offering competitive prices, quality and timely delivery.

In June, Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power secured a deal with Romania's nuclear energy company SNN to build a tritium removal facility, meant to extract tritium from heavy water and store it in a safe form.

Korea also expressed hopes to strengthen ties with the Eastern European nation in the defense sector, emphasizing that its advanced defense systems can significantly contribute to the modernization of Romania's military.

The ministry added that the two countries can enhance their ties in the defense sector through investment, technology transfer and jointly pursuing exports to third-party nations. (Yonhap)