Bill Gates, Microsoft (MS) co-founder and founder of next-generation nuclear power corporations TerraPower, and chair of the Gates Foundation, visited Korea on the 13th. It is his first visit in a year since August last year.
Gates arrived at Gimpo Business Aviation Center at Gimpo Airport by private jet at about 9:20 p.m. that day.
He is scheduled to meet key figures in the government, National Assembly, and business community with the agenda of expanding cooperation on small modular reactors (SMRs).
Gates is set to meet Han Seong-sook, the prime minister, on the 14th. The meeting was reportedly proposed first by Gates' side. He is also said to be coordinating details for a closed-door meeting with National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik.
On the business side, he is reportedly set to discuss SMR cooperation plans with HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun. It will be the first time the two have met in seven months since the Davos forum in January.
Contact with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and other SK Group executives is also expected. SK Group, a major shareholder of TerraPower, is said to be coordinating the schedule and agenda for the visit.
This visit draws attention as it comes after TerraPower achieved concrete results in the next-generation nuclear power business.
In March, TerraPower obtained a construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a site in Wyoming. It is the first case of a commercial-scale next-generation nuclear plant receiving a construction permit in the United States.
During his visit last year, Gates also said, "SMRs can be an effective answer to the power demand driven by AI and the semiconductor industry."