Senior diplomats of Korea and the Czech Republic have agreed to work closely together to ensure the smooth completion of the Korea-led construction of two nuclear power plants in the European country, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Thursday.
The two countries have finalized the estimated $18 billion project after overcoming long-standing legal hurdles involving foreign rivals, and have begun initial work to launch construction in Dukovany, in the Czech Republic’s southern region.
Kim Hee-sang, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, discussed the project with David Muller, director general for the European Union and foreign trade section of the Czech ministry of industry and trade, during their sixth Economic Joint Committee in Prague on Wednesday (local time).
“They assessed the timeline for the construction and agreed to work closely together to ensure the construction of the nuclear power plants will proceed without delays,” the ministry said in a release.
They also agreed to deepen cooperation in advanced technologies, such as semiconductors, electric cars and batteries, as well as expanding the partnership in the defense industry and energy transition.
During the visit, Kim also met with Katerina Sequensova, deputy foreign minister for non-European countries, economic and development cooperation, and discussed efforts to strengthen economic cooperation in trade and investment.