Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Dukgeun Ahn met Tomáš Pojar, the Czech National Security Adviser and special envoy of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, on September 5 in Seoul to express appreciation over the selection of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) as the preferred bidder for the new Czech reactor project and discuss measures for diversifying cooperation in not only nuclear power but also in trade, investment, industries, and energy.


Addressing the two countries’ progress in consultations for establishing a cooperative system spanning all areas of nuclear energy including talent training and technology development, Minister Ahn conveyed anticipation towards creating a singular nuclear ecosystem together under the vision of Korea-Czech Republic joint project execution.


During detailed discussions on economic cooperation in trade, investment, industries, and energy, he affirmed the importance of continuously enlarging their intergovernmental cooperation for establishing the base for all-out industrial cooperation. In this view, he stated that he looks forward to a stronger intergovernmental cooperation channel and concrete discussions between their private sectors to accelerate bilateral trade and investment as well as technology exchange.


Lastly, Minister Ahn shared his expectations of seeing Korea and the Czech Republic build on the momentum spurred by this nuclear project for a wider scope of multi-level and multi-faceted cooperation in trade, investment, advanced industries, and energy. He highlighted the need for the two countries’ governments to take the initiative in laying down the institutional framework for expanding their comprehensive and forward-looking cooperation.