[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Seo Cheonho: "Urgent Need for SMR Manufacturing License Standards"... Nuclear Safety and Security Commission: "Reviewing Adoption"

Calls for U.S.-style advance manufacturing licenses... Delays in domestic licensing standards criticized
Commission Chair Choi Wonho: "We are reviewing it"... Emphasizes updating regulatory framework and strengthening regulatory capacity

Calls were made during a parliamentary audit to introduce in South Korea a manufacturing license system needed for factory production of small modular reactors (SMRs). The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it is considering adopting a U.S.-style manufacturing license system.

Rep. Seo Cheonho of the People Power Party said on October 13, during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, that delays in establishing technical standards for SMR licensing could weaken the global competitiveness of South Korea's nuclear power industry.

NuScale Power SMR model under development by Doosan Enerbility. The Asia Business Daily database

Rep. Seo noted that the United States operates a system that approves reactor manufacturing before reactors are built in factories. He said Doosan Enerbility is pursuing plans to build an SMR-dedicated factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, with completion targeted for 2028, and stressed the urgent need for a licensing framework that can be applied during the manufacturing stage in South Korea as well.

Asked by Rep. Seo about plans to introduce a U.S.-style manufacturing license system in South Korea, Choi Wonho, chair of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, replied, "We are also reviewing it."

In response to follow-up questions, Choi said the commission would focus on updating its regulatory framework and strengthening its regulatory capacity to address new reactors, including SMRs. However, he did not provide a specific timeline for introducing the manufacturing license system or finalizing the technical standards for licensing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.