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This volume, titled Avoiding Meltdowns & Blackouts: Confidence-building in Inter-Korean Engagement on Nuclear Safety and Energy Development, explores, in detail, the history, current policy, and future possibilities of expanded civil nuclear energy development on the Korean Peninsula. It also calls attention to the similar, yet unique, histories of the two Koreas and highlights US and South Korean engagement successes, failures, and opportunities for recalibration of future policies. Overall, through exploratory analysis, the volume aims to address the lack of policy discussion on energy engagement with North Korea. Each chapter in this study features expert analysis by Siegfried S. Hecker, Jeffrey Lewis, Man-Sung Yim, Francesca Giovannini, Ho Kee Kim, and Kayla Orta (editor) on nuclear energy and safety development on the Korean Peninsula, offering a distinct viewpoint from which readers may explore the question, 鈥淲hat are the potential avenues for the US and South Korean engagement on nuclear energy and safety in North Korea?鈥�

In the 21st century, amid record-breaking environmental disasters鈥攈urricanes, wildfires, droughts, and floods鈥攇overnments around the world are under increased pressure to address climate change, resilient infrastructure development, and sustainable energy needs. Increasingly, energy policy is one of the most critical areas of foreign policy and is a space of both contention and potential cooperation in global politics today. The truth is energy policy is security policy.

Today, South Korea is one of the world鈥檚 largest nuclear energy producers, recently bringing online the country鈥檚 27th nuclear power plant, Shin Hanul Unit 1, a 13 GWe net capacity APR-1400. Current South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol鈥檚 has revitalized plans for Korea鈥檚 long-term nuclear energy ambitions, aiming for domestic nuclear energy contributions to reach 30% of South Korea鈥檚 total needs by 2030. Much has already been learned from South Korea鈥檚 experiences with nuclear energy development, safety and security enhancement, public opinion relations, and, since the 2010s, nuclear exportation diplomacy and industry development.

But, what about South Korea鈥檚 neighbor to the North? While South Korea鈥檚 achievements in forward-leaning energy policy are well-known, more often than not the question of North Korea鈥檚 energy development policies and potential is left out of the conversation.

With energy infrastructure resilience鈥攁cross the spectrum of low-carbon energy鈥攔anking high on both US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol鈥檚 national agendas, now is a crucial time for discussion on US-South Korean civil nuclear energy cooperation. By extension, should the window for dialogue with North Korea re-open, the United States and South Korea may choose a form of joint, yet limited, engagement with the North.

Click here to download the report.