The core of this site selection is summarized as deploying two large nuclear power plants in Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Korea's first innovative SMR unit in Gijang-gun, Busan. Yeongdeok-gun was selected as the final candidate site after fierce competition with Ulju-gun, Ulsan, based on the site secured during the Cheonji Nuclear Power Plant project and the high public opinion of residents. This is interpreted as a result that reflects the desperate will of Yeongdeok-gun residents to overcome the sense of loss in the local community that they experienced due to the abolition of past policies and to redesign the 100-year plan for the local economy by attracting nuclear power plants. With this selection, Yeongdeok hopes to create a turning point that goes beyond simple power plant construction to improve local residential conditions and overcome the structural crisis of population decline.

It is also significant that Gijang-gun, Busan, was selected as the first SMR construction site in Korea. Gijang-gun emerged victorious after a close battle with Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, receiving high ratings in terms of resident acceptance and project efficiency. In particular, the cohesion of the local community played a decisive role, with Gijang-gun residents voluntarily forming a bid committee and unanimously passing the motion to the National Assembly. This SMR project, which aims for commercial operation in 2035, will go beyond a simple power generation device and become a stepping stone for Gijang-gun to become the mecca of the future nuclear power industry. Through this decision, the government is also concretizing its strategic plan to establish the next-generation standard for nuclear power plant technology and secure competitiveness in the global energy market.

Although it failed in this contest, Gyeongju City's actions have significant implications for fostering the nuclear industry. Gyeongju City accepted the result, but expressed its will to move forward without hesitation in pursuing its existing future energy base strategy, including the creation of the King Munmu Science Research Institute and the SMR National Industrial Complex. This proves that the nuclear energy industry is not a one-time facility attraction project, but a long-term national strategic project that combines research and the industrial ecosystem. The nuclear power plant infrastructure and cooperation network that Gyeongju has built so far will continue to be the core axis of the East Coast Energy Belt and play a pivotal role in helping Korea's nuclear power industry leap to a world-class level.

The development of nuclear technology is now expanding beyond land to sea. In a logistics environment where carbon emissions regulations are being strengthened, nuclear-powered ships equipped with SMR are rapidly emerging as a key alternative for the future shipping industry. Currently, Korea is accelerating the development of molten salt reactor (MSR) technology with the goal of starting construction of Unit 1 in 2035, and this, combined with research on virtual reactors using AI, is producing innovative results. As the technology war between countries to dominate global standards is fierce, this new nuclear power plant construction plan will be an important milestone to strengthen the domestic supply chain and increase the degree of independence in nuclear technology.