Reflections after the 33rd #WiNGlobal Conference in South Korea

I had a pleasure of participating in the 33rd #WiNGlobal Annual Conference, hosted by Women in Nuclear Korea [1]. WiN Global, which is an umbrella organization over all country and regional chapters, was established in Vienna in 1992. This was an amazing opportunity to meet other professional women and men from all over the world and exchange our experiences.

The conference was organized March 30th through April 3rd, 2026 in the beautiful city of Gyeongju, South Korea. Gyeongju is important from both historical and cultural perspectives. It is an ancient capital of Silla Dynasty and a UNESCO heritage site.  The conference hosted almost 600 participants from about 50 countries and regional chapters from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Under the theme “Nuclear Energy for New Challenges,” we discussed the current state of nuclear technology and its advancements around the world as well as its changing strategic role due to rising electricity costs, climate crisis and demands caused by the AI era.

We also discussed Generation IV reactors, including Small Modular Reactors (SMR) designs, and worldwide construction efforts. The importance of regulatory reforms to streamline and simplify regulations/licensing processes without affecting overall safety of the systems, in order to make it more financially attractive, was also emphasized.

William D. Magwood, the Director General of OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was a keynote speaker; he is also a former director of the US government civilian energy program at the Department Of Energy. There were several panel discussions that included key representatives of the South Korea government, its nuclear/business/policymakers as well as representatives from all over the world. We also had a chance to meet globally known influencers, among them Elina Charatsidou [2].  TerraPower and  NuScale from the US industry were present.

Since I am a member of the U.S. WIN Communication Committee, I was asked to present the U.S. WIN chapter annual report about our chapter activities. I also had a talk about “Women in Nuclear: their legacies, challenges and obstacles,” which was based on our series “Women in Nuclear History” being updated regularly on our winus.org website [3].  I was also asked to become a part of the committee to evaluate young professionals in “5-minutes Speech Contest” to shape the world and its pro-nuclear message.

A special thank you goes to the conference organizers: the #WiNKorea members, whose dedication and organizational excellence under the leadership of President Young-Sil Sul made this unprecedented event possible. South Korea is the fifth nuclear power in the world with a total of 32 nuclear reactors, from which 26 are in operations, and two new under construction. They output a total of over 25 MW capacity providing 30% of the country’s electricity. South Korea is also collaborating with many other countries in nuclear technology and is providing some of its standardized nuclear reactors for export, among them the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 MW, called APR-1400.

Technical tours provided a chance to visit several nuclear sites in South Korea among them: 1) Seoul Nuclear Power Headquarters (KHNP); 2) Korea Multi-Purpose Accelerator Complex (KOMAC); 3) Doosan Enerbility: a leading manufacturer of nuclear power equipment (reactor vessels, steam generators, and turbines; 4)  Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD); 5) Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI); and 6) Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) Nuclear Fuel.

The closing ceremony of the 33rd #WiNGlobal conference was accompanied by flag exchange of three important women: South Korea’s President Young-Sil Sul, the current WiN Global president Melina Belinco, and Mumionova Mehrangez, President of Tajikistan WIN since the 2027 conference will take place in Tajikistan. Tajikistan, for many years a part of the Soviet Empire, is also a part of Women in Nuclear Central Asia Network (WINCA Network) countries and regions.

Jagoda Urban-Klaehn, PhD Physics, U.S. WIN communication board & Facebook lead

References:

  1. https://2026winglobal.org/main.asp
  2. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Elina+Charatsidou
  3. https://www.winus.org/the-winning-edge/women-in-nuclear-history-25-carolyn-parker/