South Korea - World Nuclear Performance Report
There are 26 reactors operating in South Korea, providing more than a quarter of the country's electricity. Two APR-1400 units are under construction, with further units planned.
In March 2022 President Yoon Suk-yeol was elected on a platform that rejected his predecessor’s nuclear phaseout policy.
In June 2023 the government approved the project implementation plan for Shin Hanul 3&4, allowing Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to restart preliminary construction. In December 2023 a consortium led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction was selected as the contractor for the construction of the main facilities of the two units. A construction permit was issued in September
2024, and first concrete was poured for unit 3 in May 2025.
In July 2023 it was announced that the country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy would review the need for new nuclear power. The committee noted the "recent mid- to long-term changes in power supply and demand conditions," with the need for growing capacity fuelled by the increase in electric vehicles, expansion of data centres and investment in semi-conductor and battery
manufacture. In February 2025 it found that the country would need two new large reactors and 700 MWe of small modular reactor capacity by 2038 – in addition to the large reactors already under construction or planned.
In June 2025 a new president, Lee Jae Myung was elected. He has expressed support for extending the operating lifetimes of existing reactors but is sceptical on the case for new reactors.
Nuclear electricity production by age of reactor
