韩国核安全监管机构拟提高2027年预算并加速SMR监管技术研发

The government has proposed a 3.5% increase in next year's budget for the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), which plans to accelerate research on regulating small modular reactors (SMRs), including non-light-water and innovative designs.
The commission said on the 1st that it is submitting a 303 billion won ($218 million) budget proposal for next year to the National Assembly, up 10.4 billion won from this year.
The commission will first direct the funds toward building a regulatory framework in preparation for the commercialization of SMRs. With non-light-water SMRs targeting licensing in the early 2030s, it will invest 8 billion won in research and development to build a new assessment system. Another 2.7 billion won has been set aside to begin preliminary reviews of a non-light-water SMR design expected to be filed early next year.
For the innovative SMR (i-SMR) under government development, 12.3 billion won will go toward developing safety verification technology covering the full regulatory cycle from design and construction to operation and decommissioning. Including that work, the commission's R&D budget for next year totals 70.5 billion won. The commission said it had "sharply expanded R&D investment for safety regulation of large reactors, including flexible operation and decommissioning, and for ensuring the safety of spent fuel storage and disposal."
The commission also allocated funds for major review and inspection tasks next year: 9.1 billion won for safety reviews of continued reactor operation, 1 billion won for the decommissioning review of Wolsong Unit 1, 900 million won for decommissioning inspections of Kori Unit 1, and 100 million won for safety reviews of dry storage facilities for spent fuel at reactor sites.
The commission will also spend 4.8 billion won next year to build nuclear safety information sharing centers, aimed at strengthening disclosure and communication with residents near nuclear facilities and the wider public. After opening offline information centers at four sites — Kori, Wolsong, Yeonggwang and Saeul — in September this year, the commission plans to complete three more next year in Gochang, Hanul and Daejeon.
With domestic nuclear power use rising and neighboring countries expanding the operation and construction of nuclear facilities, the commission also plans to establish and operate a national radiation monitoring center next year.
"Next year's budget proposal includes the funding essential to respond in a timely manner to safety regulation issues both current and future, and to communicate more closely with the public," NSSC Chairman Choi Won-ho said. The proposal will be finalized after review and approval by the National Assembly.