The Ministry of Science and ICT will hold the 54th experts group and 60th policy group meetings of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) in Busan from the 13th to the 17th.
GIF is a multilateral cooperation body launched in 2001 under U.S. leadership. Eleven countries and international organizations, including Korea, France and Japan, are active.
It is currently conducting joint research to develop Generation IV nuclear systems. Generation IV nuclear systems refer to sodium-cooled fast reactors, very-high-temperature gas reactors, molten salt reactors, gas-cooled fast reactors, lead-cooled fast reactors, and supercritical water-cooled reactors. Unlike existing reactors that use water as a coolant, they use coolants such as metal and gas, enabling high-temperature operation even at low pressure.
Korea is a founding member of GIF and has participated in the joint development of sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) and very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR) systems for over 20 years. It is also conducting multipurpose utilization research, including hydrogen production and high-temperature heat use, in addition to power generation. Since 2016 to the present, it has held the vice chair of GIF, leading joint research cooperation by establishing cooperative systems with international organizations and devising ways to utilize research and development infrastructure.
The GIF experts group and policy group meetings are held twice a year, in the first and second halves, rotating among member countries. In Korea, they will be held for the fifth time this year.
About 90 delegates from home and abroad, including the public convergence research policy director at the Ministry of Science and ICT and the head of the advanced reactor research institute at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), are expected to attend this meeting.
On days 1–2 of the meeting, the status of international joint research for each Generation IV nuclear reactor type will be presented. On day 3, at the experts group meeting, technical reviews and discussions will continue. On day 4, at the policy group meeting, government and research institute representatives will decide the direction of research cooperation. On the final day 5, Doosan Enerbility will conduct an on-site technical tour.
This year, a "nuclear industry session" has been newly established. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Doosan Enerbility, and Woori Technology will present issues related to the commercialization of Generation IV nuclear power plants.
A "live webinar" will also be held to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the GIF education and training working group. The webinar will discuss ways to attract and train professionals in Generation IV nuclear systems and gather opinions from policy and academic experts.
Lee U-jin, acting director for public convergence research policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT and the head of the Korea GIF policy group, said, "Through this meeting, we will share the research and development capabilities in Generation IV nuclear systems that we have accumulated."