Chairman Lee Chae-pil Emphasizes, “Introduction of SMRs is Crucial to Prevent Manufacturing Exodus Caused by High Energy Costs”

Top Experts Including Professor Joo Han-gyu and Doosan Enerbility Managing Director Lee Ji-hoon Attend to Present Strategies for SMR Commercialization and AI Integration

The 6223 Future Forum (Chairman Lee Chae-pil) will hold its 11th symposium under the theme of “Future Vision of Korean SMR” on Tuesday, October 27 at 2:30 PM at the Maewha Hall on the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Originating from Ulsan, the Glocal Forum organized this event to highlight Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a core alternative that will dictate national industrial competitiveness, amid soaring electricity demand driven by the expansion of cutting-edge industries such as AI and semiconductors, and to explore ways to proactively establish a Korean-style SMR.

In his written opening remarks, Chairman Lee Chae-pil pointed out, “Electricity is a fundamental infrastructure for industry and a matter of survival. Recently, the overseas relocation of domestic companies (manufacturing exodus) unable to endure excessive energy costs is accelerating.” Mentioning Germany’s past failure in its nuclear phase-out policy, Chairman Lee emphasized, “Energy policies driven by ideological or political purposes undermine industrial competitiveness. An energy mix ‘without price tags’ is useless, and we must proactively prepare for the SMR era where electricity demand in 2040 is projected to increase more than sixfold compared to today.”

Representatives from the nuclear academia and industry will take the stage as presenters at this symposium.

Professor Joo Han-gyu of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University (former President of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute), who is in charge of the first-session presentation, will speak on “Current Status of SMR Development and Prerequisites for Commercialization.” Professor Joo will analyze the intermittency limitations and cost structures of renewable energy, presenting demonstration roadmaps for water-cooled SMRs such as SMART100 and i-SMR, as well as Generation IV reactors (SFR, HTGR, MSR). Furthermore, he will reveal that establishing preemptive regulatory processes, vitalizing public-private joint development, enhancing public consensus on nuclear power, and focusing investments on promising reactor types are essential for the early commercialization of SMRs.

In the second-session presentation, Lee Ji-hoon, Managing Director of Nuclear Planning at Doosan Enerbility, will lecture on the theme of “Megatrends in the Nuclear Power Market: AI x SMR.” Managing Director Lee will share big tech companies’ competition to secure power for AI data centers along with global SMR market trends, and present Doosan Enerbility’s foundry capabilities and future business vision as a global SMR manufacturing hub.

Following this, a panel discussion will be chaired by Chung Man-ki, Chairman of the Korea Industry Federation (former Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy). Panelists including Kim Ik-rae, Advisory Committee Member for the SMR Business Division at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power; Cho Yoon-ki, Managing Director at POSCO E&C; Kim Dae-ho, Auditor at KEPCO Nuclear Fuel; Joo Sang-hyun, former CEO of KEPCO Plant Service & Engineering; and Lee Han-woo, Head of the Energy Technology Division at Ulsan Technopark, will participate to discuss multifaceted strategies for launching SMR commercialization and establishing an industrial ecosystem.

Chairman Lee Chae-pil expressed, “I hope this symposium serves as a concrete momentum for leaping into the Korean-style SMR era, while also acting as a driving force linked to new marine industries such as the construction of nuclear icebreakers in preparation for the upcoming Arctic route era.”

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