ABSTRACT:

The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) is the sole government-funded research institute in Korea dedicated to the development of fusion energy. This presentation introduces the current fusion engineering R&D activities underway at KFE. After briefly outlining KFE’s organizational status and its national fusion R&D programs, a more detailed overview will be provided on the institute’s key fusion engineering initiatives.

KFE’s fusion engineering research is primarily focused on the development of a fusion demonstration reactor. To this end, KFE has identified eight essential technology areas required for realization, and active R&D is being pursued in each of these domains. The eight core technologies include: core plasma technology, divertor technology, plasma heating and current drive, superconducting magnet systems, breeding blanket systems, fusion materials, fuel cycle technology, and safety and licensing. This presentation will highlight the development status of several of these core technologies.

Given the prolonged timelines for constructing large-scale demonstration reactors and the delays in ITER’s completion, Korea is now formulating strategies to accelerate its national fusion roadmap. In this context, the concept of a compact fusion demonstration reactor is under consideration. This compact device assumes the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS), and as of April 2025, a dedicated task force has been launched to establish the technical requirements for the plasma core and operational scenarios. Progress in this area will also be presented.

BIOSKETCH:

Dr. Woong Chae Kim is the Director of the Fusion Engineering Center at KFE, Korea’s leading institute for fusion energy research. With over 30 years of experience, he has contributed extensively to the development and operation of the KSTAR tokamak and to international fusion efforts including ITER.

He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Seoul National University. Dr. Kim served at the ITER Organization (2013–2018) as the section leader and the officer responsible for commissioning and operations, and has held several leadership roles at KFE in KSTAR experiment, and fusion engineering.

His current focus is on fusion engineering R&D for a future Korean demonstration reactor, including work on compact devices using high-temperature superconductors.