[From Gwanghwamun] K-nuclear power’s 55-year journey to the United States must secure its place as an indispensable partner

In the spring of 1971, South Korea began building its first commercial nuclear power plant on the coast near Gijang, Busan, with President Park Chung-hee attending the groundbreaking ceremony. Construction of the reactor started that November, and Kori Unit 1 began commercial operations in April 1978. That moment opened the first chapter of the country’s nuclear power history.

The nuclear plants built in the 1970s helped power what South Korea describes as the “Miracle on the Han River.” Industrialization had accelerated in the 1960s, but electricity supply could not keep pace with demand. Factories needed power to operate, while frequent blackouts hindered industrial growth.

The country’s strategy of developing heavy and chemical industries required a stable, large-scale source of electricity. Nuclear power became a platform for rapid growth. South Korea had no nuclear technology of its own at the time, so it brought in Kori Unit 1 through a turnkey arrangement covering the project from design to construction.

Westinghouse, which had built the world’s first commercial nuclear power plant, served as the main contractor and held the stronger position in the relationship. South Korea, receiving transfers of the underlying technology, occupied the weaker side. Fifty-five years later, the article frames the country’s move into the United States as a test of whether it can establish itself as an irreplaceable partner.