From Project to Programme

The South Korean Blueprint for the UK’s Nuclear Revival

May 27, 2026

Korea’s nuclear energy sector has evolved from a post-war state of total energy dependency to a global powerhouse of reactor technology. Today, as the United Kingdom embarks on an ambitious journey to revitalise its own nuclear landscape, South Korea provides a strategic template: a blueprint for nuclear success.

In this new paper Dr Won-Pil Baek, Commissioner for the Policy Exchange Nuclear Enterprise Commission, argues that this ‘Korean Miracle’ was driven by several key factors; nuclear policy consistency, a ‘programme-based’ mindset, and industrial-nuclear collaboration to catalyse broader industrial regeneration. From Project to Programme details how South Korea transformed its nuclear energy sector into the backbone of its wider industrial and innovation ecosystem, and how a strategic UK-Korean nuclear collaboration could enrich the futures of British and South Korean energy production.

The launch of this report was covered by:

Policy Exchange Nuclear Enterprise Commission

As the UK enters a decisive decade for its energy and economic future, the Policy Exchange Nuclear Enterprise Commission will continue to set out the bold, practical reforms required to rebuild a world-class nuclear enterprise, cut through the inertia of the past two decades, and deliver the nuclear renaissance Britain urgently needs.

The Commission will produce a series of discussion papers and research notes addressing the most pressing questions facing the UK’s nuclear enterprise. Drawing together expertise from across government, industry and academia, its research and events will span subjects from the nuclear deterrent and the nuclear threat landscape to regulation, the nuclear industrial base and dual-use technologies. This breadth will enable the Commission to propose in a final publication a wide array of answers to the considerable challenges at the heart of energy and national security policy.

It should be noted that all research papers produced under the banner of the Policy Exchange Nuclear Enterprise Commission are intended for discussion and do not necessarily represent the views of every member of the Commission, or the Commission as a whole.

Members of the Commission

Rt Hon Lord Case CVO PC, former Cabinet Secretary (Chair)
Dr Won-Pil Baek, Senior Research Fellow at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
Professor Wyn Bowen, Head of the School of Security Studies at KCL and Professor of Non-Proliferation and International Security
Joshua Buckland, Director of Strategy and Policy at EDF and a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange
Tom Greatrex, CEO, Nuclear Industry Association; former Shadow Minister for Energy of Great Britain
Lt Gen H R McMaster (USA, Ret.), 25th U.S. National Security Advisor
Frank Miller, former Special Advisor on nuclear matters to President George W. Bush and Nuclear Defence Specialist at the Department of Defence
Professor Dame Fiona Murray DCMG CBE, Associate Dean for Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the NATO Innovation Fund
Professor Sir David Omand GCB, former Director of GCHQ
Rt Hon Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT GCMG PC, former NATO Secretary General and Secretary of State for Defence
Hon William J Schneider Jr, former Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs
Air Marshal Edward Stringer CB CBE, former Director-General of the Defence Academy and former Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff
Paul Taylor CBE, former Director General of Strategic Technologies at the Ministry of Defence
Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, former Minister of State for Indo-Pacific and Secretary of State for International Trade
Dr Heather Williams, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Admiral Rt Hon Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC PC, former First Sea Lord