South Korea's Prime Minister, Han Seong-sook, met with Bill Gates on Friday to discuss collaboration on next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs) and broader energy cooperation between the United States and South Korea, according to the Prime Minister's office.

The Microsoft co-founder and founder of nuclear energy firm Terra Power arrived in Seoul on Thursday. His visit has drawn significant attention, with market expectations that the core topic of his meetings in South Korea will be strengthening industrial cooperation in the SMR field.

During the talks, Prime Minister Han outlined the government's "Three Major Strategic Projects," which aim to drive national industrial transformation by leveraging semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence, and AI data centers. She also emphasized the importance of a stable power supply for these strategies.

Han stated that South Korea is studying the construction of a diversified energy structure that combines renewable energy sources with small modular reactors.

The Prime Minister's office reported that Bill Gates noted South Korea's experience in constructing and operating nuclear power plants could make a significant contribution to achieving carbon neutrality goals and building the SMR industrial ecosystem. He added that Terra Power will further deepen its partnership with South Korean companies.