The South, Central, and East Asia FIRST (Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Module Reactor Technology) Regional Conference on advancing the safe and secure deployment of SMRs, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the U.S. Department of State, took place from June 11 to 13 in Seoul. Attending the conference were over 70 small modular reactor (SMR) experts from 15 countries including the ROK, the U.S., Japan, the UK, Canada, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In his opening statement, Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Kweon Ki-hwan said that SMRs represented a promising clean energy source that could help to tackle issues such as carbon neutrality, energy security, and the massive energy demand required for artificial intelligence. Deputy Minister Kweon also expressed hope that the FIRST Regional Conference would serve as a valuable stepping stone for strengthening international cooperation in the field of SMRs.

The three-day conference featured expert panel discussions which offered   opportunities to deepen the participants’ knowledge on SMRs. Topics that were discussed during the conference included ways to boost SMR development capabilities, increase social acceptance of SMRs, and establish new regulations and standards on nuclear security and nonproliferation.

The conference will be followed by a separate meeting of leading countries in the SMR field including the ROK, the U.S., Japan, UK, and Canada on June 14. At this meeting, participants will address issues such raising global awareness on SMRs and promoting SMR development.