New Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power CEO vows to expand global footprint
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power CEO Kim Hoe-chun speaks during his inauguration ceremony
at the state-run company’s head office in Gyeongju on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
March 18 (UPI) — Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said Wednesday that new CEO Kim Hoe-chun has officially taken office to lead the state-run company over the next three years.
The chief executive said that he would establish a dual-track strategy of focusing on large-scale nuclear reactors and small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the same time to gain a stronger foothold in the global market.
SMRs refer to next-generation nuclear power plants, which are smaller but considered safer than traditional massive reactors. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, or KHNP, has worked on its own models, known as “innovative SMRs.”
“We will successfully carry out already secured overseas projects while pursuing tailored bidding strategies to enter new markets,” Kim said during an inauguration ceremony at the firm’s head office in Gyeongju, around 180 miles southeast of Seoul.
“We will develop the KHNP-style integrated management model as an export product and take a leading position in the international nuclear power market through innovative SMR technologies,” he said.
In June 2025, KHNP signed a contract to build two nuclear reactors in the Dukovany region of the Czech Republic. The agreement is estimated to be worth about $18 billion.
The company also has been competing with global players to win nuclear contracts in other countries.
Before taking the helm at KHNP, Kim spent decades at Korea Electric Power Corp., where he held a series of key positions after joining it in 1985. Between 2021 and 2024, he served as CEO of Korea South-East Power, an affiliate of KEPCO.