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http://dx.doi.org/10.7545/ajip.2016.5.1.092

Technological Catching-up of Nuclear Power Plant in Korea: The Case of OPR1000  

Lee, Tae Joon (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
Lee, Young-Joon (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
Publication Information
Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy / v.5, no.1, 2016 , pp. 92-115 More about this Journal
Abstract
This paper presents how Korea succeeded in developing an indigenous nuclear power plant model over fifty years. Long-lasting national R&D for technical progress and the Korean government for managerial process were the two pillars in the build-up of indigenous Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) technological capabilities. The concept of technological capabilities is used to examine its evolutionary process with a qualitative and longitudinal approach. The government had a developing country ambition to formulate a strategic plan for technical self-reliance on nuclear power plant while establishing the country’s institutions and organization structure for the plan. Under the government leadership, it was national R&D that led to the resolution of a good number of technological problems, efficiently, by absorbing imported technologies and effectively adapting them to local circumstances.
Keywords
Technological catching-up; nuclear power plant; Korea; government policy; nuclear R&D; OPR1000;
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