Trump’s nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia puts South Korea’s reactor ambitions on ice

The United States just signed a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could reshape the global reactor market for a generation. The problem, if you’re South Korea, is that you spent years trying to be in that deal and now you’re watching from the outside. President Trump approved a 30-year civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia around July 22, 2026. The pact covers reactor construction, technology transfers, and nonproliferation safeguards. It also includes a provision that could allow uranium enrichment on Saudi soil, pending the results of a joint feasibility study. That last part is significant. Enrichment rights have historically been the most contested piece of any nuclear cooperation agreement. The fact that the US is willing to put it on the table for Saudi Arabia, while other countries have faced stricter terms, is already drawing attention in Seoul. Who wins and who waits The deal explicitly prioritizes American companies for reactor construction and technology supply. In English: foreign competitors, including South Korea’s state-backed Korea Electric Power Corporation, face a structural disadvantage in bidding for Saudi nuclear contracts. KEPCO is not a m...