The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 7th that South Korea and the Czech Republic have signed a total of 14 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOU) in the fields of nuclear power and advanced industries. With the contract for a new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, economic cooperation between the two countries has gained momentum. Although the Czech Administrative Court has granted a request for a preliminary injunction against the nuclear power contract from France's Electricité de France (EDF), it is observed that the scope of cooperation in advanced industries, energy, and construction has widened.
Minister Ahn Duk-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the government delegation, along with Chairperson Lee Chul-kyu and the National Assembly delegation, met on the 7th (local time) in the Czech Republic with Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic and Chairman Miloš Vystrčil of the Senate.
The two countries discussed comprehensive economic cooperation measures during the meeting and signed a total of 14 agreements and MOUs.
Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Minister Lukáš Vlček of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade signed an 'Arrangements' to specify the MOU on nuclear power industry cooperation between South Korea and the Czech Republic in September 2024. The government is pursuing the successful construction of the new nuclear power plant in Dukovany.
In addition, they agreed to cooperate on the joint entry into third countries and the construction of an additional two reactors.
The two countries' ministers of industry also signed a 'Korea-Czech Battery Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)' to strengthen their response to the EU Battery Directive, which will be specified in the future.
In the presence of the ministers of both countries, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Team Korea signed 10 agreements and MOUs for cooperation on the construction of the new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic with Czech corporations.
They also signed an agreement to establish an industrial cooperation center to implement the 'Vltava Advanced Industries Cooperation Vision' announced on September 20 last year. According to the agreement, the two countries will promote the establishment of an automotive cooperation center and a robotics cooperation center.
Minister Ahn Duk-geun noted, 'On the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between South Korea and the Czech Republic and the 10th anniversary of our strategic partnership, the two countries have built a stronger trust relationship' and added, 'We will closely communicate with the Czech side to finalize the contract for the new nuclear power plant as soon as possible.'