[DigitalToday reporter Jin-ho Lee (이진호)] The Ministry of Science and ICT will expand international cooperation to commercialise fusion power generation with leading countries in fusion technology, including Britain and the United States.

The ministry said First Vice Minister Ku Hyuk-chae (구혁채) attended the Global Fusion Policy Summit in London on Sept. 14 local time as chief representative and discussed ways to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation on fusion with major countries.

The event was co-hosted by Britain's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Representatives from governments, research institutions, companies and investment organisations from nine countries including South Korea, the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Finland discussed policy directions for commercialising fusion energy and ways to cooperate between countries.

The ministry has selected fusion technology as a key field for the K-Moonshot Program, which seeks to tackle difficult science and technology challenges based on AI innovation, and for the Seven SEED Projects aimed at securing future growth engines. It is also promoting related technology development, aiming to develop a Korean-style innovative fusion reactor and demonstrate electricity generation in the 2030s.

It has also expanded international cooperation to accelerate the commercialisation of fusion power generation. Since the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) joint implementation agreement took effect in 2007, it has procured key components such as superconducting conductors and vacuum vessels, operated regular consultative bodies with the United States, the European Union (EU) and Japan, and continued joint research and technology exchanges.

At this meeting, participants discussed ways to expand the scope of cooperation, which had centred on technology development, to areas including regulation, commercialisation and industrial ecosystems.

Ku held a bilateral meeting with Michael Shanks, Britain's DESNZ minister of state for energy, and reviewed bilateral research and development cooperation results, including joint development of high-temperature superconducting magnets to be applied to Britain's next-generation fusion demonstration reactor STEP. They also discussed additional cooperation measures to establish a fusion-tailored regulatory system and foster an industrial ecosystem.

STEP is a next-generation spherical tokamak fusion demonstration reactor that the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is pursuing, aiming for completion and electricity demonstration in 2040.

At a chief representative roundtable, participants shared the status of each country's fusion programmes and discussed areas where international cooperation is urgently needed within the next five years and ways to build a multilateral cooperation framework.

Ku said, "To meet electricity demand expected to surge, it is urgent to swiftly commercialise fusion power generation," adding, "I hope this will lead to substantive cooperation in the future, including technology development and establishing regulations and standards."