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Nuclear Nonproliferation in Support of Exporting Nuclear Power
The global nuclear nonproliferation regime has developed over the past 50 years based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) with three pillars: disarmament, nonproliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy. Due to climate change and energy security in recent years, nuclear energy has been in the spotlight as an electricity generation source, and many countries are paying attention to introducing nuclear power plants (NPP). Whereas exporters pursue profit by selling their NPP, international organisations and member states that seek nuclear nonproliferation are concerned with potential proliferation risks by expanding the nuclear power industry worldwide. Simultaneously, the member states’ right to peaceful use of nuclear energy has to be guaranteed as specified in NPT Article IV. Accordingly, the trade of nuclear power between the member states taking full responsibility is desirable from the nonproliferation perspective. This paper investigates whether the countries capable of exporting their nuclear power have complied with the global nuclear nonproliferation regime, deriving the role and position that South Korea is faced with, accordingly, has to take. The dynamics of exporters’ competitiveness are discussed, emphasising that compliance with the regime must be considered a qualification when exporting NPP. The achievement that South Korea has attained, fulfilling its role and responsibility under the regime, is highlighted. Since South Korea has developed the nuclear power industry in cooperation with the United States under the NPT and the ROK-US Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation, the status quo of the two countries in the nuclear nonproliferation and industrial landscape is discussed. Among the newcomers who have officially announced the plan to introduce NPP, Saudi Arabia is put in a crucial position to aggregate or alleviate nuclear nonproliferation. To this end, the rationale for the ROK-US cooperation is proposed, evaluating the value of nuclear nonproliferation in support of exporting nuclear power.
