Seoul, South Korea (AP) — South Korean authorities on Wednesday characterized the Czech court's decision to halt the country's $18 billion project to build two nuclear reactors there as a temporary setback, expressing confidence the contract will ultimately proceed.

A South Korean consortium led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., a state-owned company, was scheduled to finalize a contract this week with a subsidiary of CEZ, the largest electricity supplier in the Czech Republic. However, a Czech court blocked CEZ from signing the agreement to review a claim by French company EDF, which had lost the bid to the South Korean side.

韓国のアン・ドックグン産業大臣はプラハで記者団に、裁判所の決定は正式な契約の署名を遅らせるだけだと話しました。彼は、他の手続きは契約が進むことを前提に予定通り進むと述べました。また、チェコ政府は裁判所が合意を止める決定をはっきりと予想していなかったこと、そしてCEZが上訴する予定であることを伝えました。

It is currently unknown when the Czech Supreme Administrative Court will issue its ruling on this appeal.

Mr. Anh stated that the Czech government did not see the EDF's points as a big problem and invited them to the planned signing ceremony. He added that the Czech government's decision seemed different from the court's judgment.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated on Wednesday that his government would respect the court's decision, adding that he believed "the judges and the court are fully aware of the significance of this decision and its implications for the security and national interests of the Czech Republic."

Acting President Lee Ju-ho of South Korea stated that Seoul would maintain close contact with the Czech side to ensure the swift finalization of the contract.

In July, CEZ chose a South Korean consortium led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power as the preferred bidder over EDF for a project to build two 1000-megawatt reactors at the Dukovany nuclear power plant. EDF contested this decision in court last week after the Czech Republic's competition authority dismissed its appeal regarding the bidding process.

先月、不運な戒厳令が出されたことで辞任した保守派のユン・ソクヨル前大統領は、前の政権が原子力への依存を減らしたために損なわれたと述べ、韓国の原子力発電の輸出を増やすと約束しました。ユン政権は2030年までに原子炉を10基輸出することを目指していました。