▲ South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pose with a memorandum of understanding on small modular reactors during a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders' summit, in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-Japan nuclear cooperation

S. Korea, U.S., Japan bolster cooperation on SMRs amid surging power demand, geopolitical rivalry

By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- The recent trilateral agreement on small modular reactors (SMRs) reflects growing efforts by South Korea, the United States and Japan to combine their respective strengths in the nuclear sector to jointly respond to surging energy demand and geopolitical competition, Seoul officials said Monday.

Last week, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) aimed at supporting the deployment of SMRs in Indo-Pacific countries.

"The basic objective of this MOC is to establish a government-level framework that will enable the nuclear industries of the three nations to jointly advance into the global SMR market, beginning with the Indo-Pacific region," a South Korean foreign ministry official told reporters.

The agreement came as SMRs are gaining growing attention as countries seek reliable, carbon-free power to meet surging electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and data centers. The technology is viewed as a more flexible and potentially less costly alternative to traditional large-scale nuclear power plants.

According to the World Nuclear Association, global SMR capacity could reach as much as 158 gigawatts (GW) by 2040 and more than 400 GW by 2050, accounting for over 30 percent of global nuclear power demand.

Officials said the three countries possess highly complementary capabilities in the nuclear sector.

South Korea is known for its nuclear power plant construction capabilities, while the U.S. possesses advanced reactor design technologies and Japan has strengths in manufacturing key nuclear power plant equipment.

"The three countries have strengths in different areas, but also limitations. By working together, there is room for a complementary, win-win relationship," the ministry official said.

The trilateral cooperation also came as China and Russia are expanding their influence in the global nuclear energy market.

"Unlike many other infrastructure projects, nuclear power plants can create strategic relationships lasting decades, given the life cycle of a power plant from construction to operation and to decommissioning," another ministry official said.

"Such factors as energy security, safety standards and long-term supply chain reliability could become increasingly important, along with price competitiveness when countries choose nuclear partners. In that sense, the trilateral cooperation bears significance," he added.

The Indo-Pacific is widely expected to see the strongest growth in demand for new nuclear power plants in the coming decades, and the trilateral agreement has been welcomed through various diplomatic channels, suggesting growing interest in the trilateral initiative among regional partners, according to ministry officials.

The initiative was first proposed by Washington and discussions began in the first half of last year, sources said.

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