By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

President Lee Jae-myung held his first summit with Czech President Petr Pavel and discussed ways to expand cooperation between the two countries, including the Dukovany nuclear power plant project.

At the first summit held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 23 (local time), President Lee said, "This year marks a significant year, marking the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Czech Republic and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership. I am pleased to see the remarkable progress our bilateral relationship has made."

He continued, "As our two countries share the commonality of citizens' dedication to protecting democracy, I hope to develop our relationship based on these shared values."

President Pavel mentioned Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's (KHNP) final contract for the construction of the new Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic last June, saying, "This was based on the Czech government's high recognition of the outstanding capabilities of Korean companies."

President Lee praised the Czech Republic's active support for Korean companies' investment activities and responded, "I hope that cooperation between our two countries will expand beyond nuclear power to semiconductors, electric vehicles, and the defense industry, fostering mutually beneficial development."

The Dukovany nuclear power plant project involves Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) supplying two 1,000MW (megawatt) APR1000 nuclear power plants in the Dukovany region of the Czech Republic. The total project cost is approximately 407 billion koruna (approximately 26 trillion won).