S. Korea, Dutch sign US$23 mln deal on upgrading atomic reactor in Netherlands

2014/11/03 11:59

SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the Netherlands signed a deal Monday to upgrade a Dutch experimental reactor in the first export of the Asian country's nuclear reactor technology to Europe.

The signing ceremony took place as South Korean President Park Geun-hye stood side by side with visiting Dutch King Willem-Alexander after a summit at the presidential office in Seoul.

A South Korean consortium is set to upgrade the capacity of an atomic reactor at Delft University of Technology to 3 megawatts from the current 2 megawatts and to build a cold neutron research facility under the 19 million euro (US$23.6 million) deal.

The consortium led by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute beat out rivals from France, Germany and Russia.

The Korean institute also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dutch university to help boost the presence of South Korea's nuclear technology in Europe.

South Korea's nuclear technology has so far been limited to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

South Korea also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dutch for cooperation in brain research.

"I am pleased that a tangible outcome of a previous meeting appears," Park said in a summit with Willem-Alexander, citing the signing of a nuclear deal and a memorandum of understanding for brain research.

Park apparently referred to her summit with her Dutch counterpart during her visit to the Netherlands in March to attend the Nuclear Security Summit.

In March, Park attended a luncheon hosted by Willem-Alexander.

Park also expressed hope that the two countries will further strengthen the foundation for their cooperation.

entropy@yna.co.kr