The United States, Japan, and South Korea signed a cooperation agreement to promote civilian nuclear energy cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

South Korea, the United States, and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding in Ankara, Turkey, on supporting the introduction of small modular reactors (SMRs) in countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Yonhap News Agency reported that, according to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held trilateral talks on Tuesday (July 7) on the sidelines of the NATO summit and signed the aforementioned cooperation document.

This signing aims to establish a trilateral cooperation mechanism among South Korea, the United States, and Japan to accelerate the introduction of SMR technology in countries across the Indo-Pacific region.

According to the foreign ministries of South Korea and the United States, the trilateral cooperation mechanism aims to reduce project development risks, achieve economies of scale, promote private investment, simplify approval procedures, and establish a nuclear power plant layout model that optimizes the supply chain.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the memorandum of understanding includes supporting multiple SMR construction projects through standard reactor types and simplified contract procedures, promoting the formation of consortia among companies from the three countries, strengthening project financing and capacity building, and providing technical, fuel, equipment, and service support.

In addition, the three foreign ministers jointly assessed the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to maintain close cooperation on North Korea-related policies, including combating North Korea's illicit cyber activities. The three parties also agreed to uphold the principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to work together through dialogue and diplomacy to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula.

Source: [Lianhe Zaobao] (https://www.zaobao.com/news/world/story20260708-9330593)