Washington’s push for Seoul to use Westinghouse’s AP1000 in Riyadh’s bid exposes limits of industrial autonomy

Washington’s request that Seoul use Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor design in its bid for Saudi Arabia’s nuclear power project exposes the risks facing South Korea’s nuclear sovereignty and industrial autonomy.

The proposal shows how years of alliance-driven cooperation have hardened into a system of dependency that ties South Korea’s technological exports to U.S. industrial and regulatory control. Seoul’s reported decision to “review” the request signals both recognition of that reality and the difficulty of escaping it.

Washington’s request that Seoul use Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor design in its bid for Saudi Arabia’s nuclear power project exposes the risks facing South Korea’s nuclear sovereignty and industrial autonomy.

The proposal shows how years of alliance-driven cooperation have hardened into a system of dependency that ties South Korea’s technological exports to U.S. industrial and regulatory control. Seoul’s reported decision to “review” the request signals both recognition of that reality and the difficulty of escaping it.

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