Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) poses with Czech National Security Adviser Tomas Pojar ahead of their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Sept. 4, 2024, in this photo provided by Cho’s office. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has said South Korea’s nuclear power plant deal with the Czech Republic will be a “prime opportunity” for the two countries’ relations to advance to a new level, his office said Thursday.
Cho made the remark during a meeting with Czech National Security Adviser Tomas Pojar on Wednesday, referring to Prague’s selection of a South Korean consortium as the preferred bidder to build two nuclear power reactors in the Central European country.
“This project marks a prime opportunity for the bilateral relations between the two countries to take a new step forward,” the foreign ministry quoted Cho as saying in a press release.
Pojar was visiting Seoul this week as a special envoy to discuss details with South Korean officials on the upcoming visit to Czechia by President Yoon Suk Yeol later this month.
South Korea is in a dispute with U.S. nuclear energy firm, Westinghouse Electric Co., as Westinghouse has lodged an appeal with the Czech authorities in protest of the decision to choose South Korean state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) for the nuclear power plant project.
Westinghouse has said the KHNP has used its licensed plant designs for the Czech project without its consent.
South Korea has said that as the country’s companies have domestically mastered reactor-building technologies with initial technology assistance from the U.S. firm, its exports of reactors should not be subject to U.S. export control regulations.
In the meeting with Cho, Pojar said his country firmly believes it will conclude the nuclear power plant deal with South Korea and that it will be an important occasion for the bilateral relationship to develop further.
Cho and Pojar also discussed ways for the two countries to cooperate on the reconstruction projects for war-torn Ukraine, as well as other areas like advanced science technology and energy, according to Cho’s office.
(Yonhap)
