Reported clause granting 50-year oversight and royalties raises sovereignty concerns as KHNP competes for reactor bids

South Korea risks long-term industrial dependence after agreeing to a nuclear settlement that reportedly grants Westinghouse Electric — a U.S.-based reactor design firm — extensive control over its state-run utility companies, raising concerns about strategic sovereignty and institutional subordination.

The agreement has ended a yearslong legal dispute between Westinghouse and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and enables South Korea to make major overseas contracts, but revelations about restrictive provisions have triggered political backlash and renewed scrutiny of Seoul’s nuclear export strategy.

South Korea risks long-term industrial dependence after agreeing to a nuclear settlement that reportedly grants Westinghouse Electric — a U.S.-based reactor design firm — extensive control over its state-run utility companies, raising concerns about strategic sovereignty and institutional subordination.

The agreement has ended a yearslong legal dispute between Westinghouse and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and enables South Korea to make major overseas contracts, but revelations about restrictive provisions have triggered political backlash and renewed scrutiny of Seoul’s nuclear export strategy.

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