Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) CEO Whang Joo-ho, second from left, meets with Industry and Trade Minister of the Czech Republic, Jozef Sikela, at the ministry in the Czech Republic, Sept. 19 (local time). Korea Times file

By Lee Kyung-min

Korea has cost, quality and technological advantages over its U.S. and French peers when it comes to nuclear power plant construction, a reason why Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) CEO Whang Joo-ho remains confident about Korea's chance of winning in a three-way bidding war to build a nuclear reactor in the Czech Republic.

The Korea-U.S. alliance to cooperate in the nuclear energy business, he added, would not deteriorate, despite a legal dispute over claims of intellectual property rights violations by U.S. Westinghouse Electric Company against Korea.

The lifespan of a dozen old nuclear power plants will gradually be extended, a priority he considers critical to advancing the efficient and effective use of nuclear energy to underpin robust mutual growth with renewables.