Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina (left) and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly on Aug. 27 pose for a photo in Busan. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

By Aislyu Akhmetzianova

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. have agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy.

The ministry also pledged active support for cooperation between companies from both countries in small modular reactors (SMRs), which are considered the future of nuclear power.

Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly on Aug. 27 said this at a bilateral consultation of deputy foreign ministers on nuclear energy cooperation in Busan on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Ministers' Meeting.

The two sides mentioned previous discussion on the topic at the recent bilateral summit in Washington, agreeing to reinforce communication to bolster their nuclear partnership in a range of fields.

Vice Minister Kim said higher bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy will help boost the bilateral alliance.

Deputy Secretary Danly agreed and pledged continued support to strengthen such collaboration.

The two diplomats cited brisk SMR cooperation including the signing of a memorandum of understanding between nuclear power companies from both countries during President Lee Jae Myung's visit to Washington this week.

They also agreed to work closely together at the government level to provide greater momentum for private sector cooperation.

aisylu@korea.kr