Korea approves 2.17 trillion won in R&D projects for fusion, marine reactors and displays

South Korea's science ministry said Thursday it had finalized three large state research projects worth a combined 2.17 trillion won ($1.6 billion) covering nuclear fusion, a marine molten-salt reactor and advanced displays. All three were cleared under the preliminary feasibility study system, or 예타, which was discontinued for civil R&D programs after these applications were filed.

The largest award goes to the fusion program, which will receive 1.48 trillion won in total, including 1.29 trillion won from the national budget, over 10 years from 2027 to 2036. The project aims to push core fusion technologies — reactor-core plasma, heating and current drive, superconducting magnets, breeding blankets, fusion materials and the fuel cycle — to the level of validation in conditions similar to those inside an actual fusion reactor, and to build a demonstration center for verifying the results.

The ministry tied the fusion investment to rising long-term power demand from the spread of artificial intelligence and the expansion of data centers, which it said has raised the importance of securing competitiveness in future energy technology.

A second project, the marine molten-salt reactor development program, was allocated 317 billion won, including 225 billion won in state funding, over four years from 2027 to 2030. It is jointly overseen by the science ministry and the oceans ministry. The ministry said the International Maritime Organization's tightening greenhouse gas targets have made nuclear-powered ships one option for decarbonizing shipping, and that MSRs, which operate at high temperature and low pressure and are suited to compact designs, are considered a good fit for maritime use. The work will cover the reactor core and systems, nuclear fuel and materials, and the interface between the reactor and the ship, along with safety evaluation technology for MSR-powered vessels. The ministry expects the project to lay the groundwork for commercializing nuclear-propelled ships and to strengthen the competitiveness of Korea's nuclear and shipbuilding industries.

The advanced display platform project, led by the industry ministry, will receive 369 billion won, including 279 billion won from the government, over seven years from 2027 to 2033. It is organized around three technology themes: "over OLED," aimed at overcoming the performance limits of current OLED panels; "cross OLED," which combines multiple functions and technologies; and "post OLED," covering next-generation technology beyond OLED. The project will also build demonstration infrastructure spanning the full cycle from design to panel-level testing. The ministry said competition is intensifying internationally to secure convergent and next-generation display technology, and that the platform is meant to concentrate domestic research capacity and support preemptive acquisition of core technologies.

"Fusion and MSR are core technology fields included in the seven SEED projects, and displays are an area where we lead the global market," Park In-kyu, head of the ministry's science and technology innovation office, said, referring to the government's Strategic Emerging Engines for Disruptive Innovation initiative, which covers small modular reactors, fusion, breakthrough renewable energy, quantum, space and aerospace, advanced bio, and advanced supply chains. Park said he asked the ministries in charge to move the projects forward quickly so that Korea can secure next-generation growth engines early, adding that the government will continue to strengthen strategic investment in national R&D, including the seven SEED projects.