The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and Hyundai Engineering Co. have secured a contract to design the largest university-operated research reactor in the United States—a landmark development that marks South Korea’s return of nuclear technology to the country where it first began its atomic journey. Sixty-six years after importing its first research reactor from the U.S. in 1959, South Korea is now exporting its reactor design expertise back to the birthplace of nuclear science. The South Korean government sees the deal as a strategic entry point into the global research reactor market.
On Apr. 17, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and Hyundai Engineering announced that their consortium—formed in partnership with U.S.-based engineering firm MPR Associates—had signed an initial design contract for the NextGen Missouri University Research Reactor (NextGen MURR) project, led by the University of Missouri.
The consortium was selected as the final candidate in July 2024 following a competitive bidding process and has now formalized the agreement. “Seven companies, including firms from the United States and Argentina, were in the running, but the South Korean consortium was selected,” said Lim In-cheol, executive vice president of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. “This reflects global recognition of our unmatched technical capabilities and extensive experience.”
While nuclear power plants generate electricity through sustained neutron-induced chain reactions in uranium, research reactors instead use neutrons for applications such as producing medical isotopes, fabricating semiconductors, and developing advanced materials.
The University of Missouri currently operates a 10-megawatt research reactor but launched the NextGen MURR project to expand its medical isotope production capacity. The planned 20-megawatt reactor will be the most powerful research reactor operated by a U.S. university. The project will be carried out in three stages: the initial design phase, the conceptual and basic design phase, and the final construction phase.
The South Korean consortium’s initial design contract is valued at $10 million. Jung Taek-ryeol, director-general for public R&D policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, noted that the designation as the final candidate covers both the first and second stages, indicating that the consortium is expected to lead the conceptual and basic design phase unless unexpected developments arise.
“Our experience with designing the HANARO research reactor and exporting a reactor to Jordan contributed significantly to the positive assessment,” said Joo Han-kyu, president of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
South Korea’s nuclear energy program began on Jul. 14, 1959, when it imported the TRIGA Mark-II research reactor from the United States. That acquisition enabled the country to launch nuclear R&D and develop a skilled workforce, ultimately paving the way for commercial nuclear power generation with the construction of the Kori-1 reactor in 1978.
In 1995, South Korea independently developed the 30-megawatt HANARO research reactor. A new facility is currently under construction in Gijang, Busan. Drawing on its experience with HANARO, South Korea has gone on to secure reactor design and construction contracts in Jordan, Bangladesh, the Netherlands (at Delft University of Technology), and Malaysia.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, 227 research reactors are currently in operation across 54 countries, with more than 70 percent—161 in total—having been in service for over four decades. As global demand for radiopharmaceutical isotopes continues to grow, so too does the need for new research reactor construction.
Vice Minister Lee Chang-yune of the Ministry of Science and ICT said, “We estimate that around 50 new research reactors will be built worldwide over the next 20 years. To accelerate exports, the government is formulating strategies to support overseas expansion of our research reactor technology.”
