South Korea in talks to invest in nuclear power project in US (updated)

Korea Electric Power

09/03/2026 10:51

Updates throughout to add minister's comments, background

By Hyunjoo Jin

SEOUL, March 9 (Reuters) - South Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said on Monday that Seoul is in talks to invest in a nuclear power project in the United States as part of Seoul's pledge to invest a total of $350 billion in U.S. projects.

Seoul has been scrambling to review deals with Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump ⁠threatened to hike tariffs on goods imported ​from South Korea to 25%, blaming a ​delay in the Asian ally's implementation of a ​trade deal agreed last year.

"We are in serious discussions regarding nuclear power," Kim said in a parliamentary session, in response to a lawmaker's question about Korea's possible investments in U.S. nuclear power plants.

The minister did not elaborate on details of the talks.

The U.S. government last year inked a partnership with Westinghouse that aims to build at least $80 billion in nuclear reactors, in one of the most ambitious plans in U.S. atomic energy in decades.

Japan and the United States are also working to include a nuclear power project in the second round of deals under Japan's $550-billion investment package, sources told Reuters last week.

 (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Jan Harvey, Aidan Lewis)

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