South Korea, Czech Republic stand firm on moving forward with nuclear deal

Czech and South Korean officials expressed confidence Friday that a deal to build two nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic would go ahead despite legal challenges.

"We believe the Czech Republic will have more light owing to nuclear plants, and its electric cars will use that energy too," South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in the western Czech city of Pilsen during a two-day visit to the country.

In July, South Korea's KHNP won a contract to build two reactors at the Dukovany power plant, which along with the Temelin plant is expected to provide 50 percent of the country's electricity output.

But the multibillion-euro award was challenged by rivals EDF of France and the US group Westinghouse.

Westinghouse in particular accused its Korean competitor of using its technology without authorisation.

KHNP had faced a similar dispute with Westinghouse after winning a contract to build the Barakah nuclear plant in the United Arab Emirates in 2009.

It resolved the issue by handing some supplies over to Westinghouse, and Yoon suggested on Thursday that it might do the same with the Dukovany contract.

"We believe and are confident that this issue can be resolved well, just like the case of the UAE Barakah nuclear power plant," Yoon said after meeting with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague on Thursday.

Prague expects to finalise the deal with KHNP by March, with construction to begin in 2029 and the first new reactor launched in trial operation in 2036.

"We naturally expect the talks to be successful, but we are also ready in the worst case for the option that there may not be an agreement. But... the likelihood of that is very small," Pavel said.