Officials in South Korea on Wednesday sought to mitigate concerns following a Czech court's decision to temporarily suspend an $18 billion initiative for South Korea to construct two nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic, characterizing the move as a brief interruption and asserting their belief the agreement would ultimately advance.

A South Korean group, led by the state-owned Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, had expected to finish the deal this week with a part of CEZ, the Czech Republic's main electricity company. But, a Czech court stopped CEZ from signing the contract while it looks at a complaint from the French company EDF, which did not win the bid against the South Koreans.

South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Dukgeun informed journalists in Prague that the court’s ruling would merely postpone the formal contract signing, and that all other processes would continue as planned, provided the agreement is finalised. He stated that the Czech government evidently did not foresee the court’s decision to suspend the agreement, and that CEZ intends to challenge it.

The timeframe for a decision from the Czech Supreme Administrative Court on that appeal remains uncertain.

“The Czech government did not perceive EDF’s claims as a significant issue and invited us to the scheduled signing ceremony,” Ahn stated. “It appears the Czech government’s assessment was not in accordance with the court’s decision.”

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday that his government accepts the court's decision. He also said, "I believe the judges and the court understand how important this decision is and how it affects the security and national interests of the Czech Republic."

Lee Ju-Ho, South Korea’s acting president, stated that Seoul would maintain close communication with the Czech Republic to facilitate the swift conclusion of the agreement.

In July, CEZ chose KHNP over EDF as the favoured contractor for the construction of two 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors at the Dukovany facility; last week, EDF lodged a court action following the Czech Republic’s competition authority's dismissal of its challenge to the bidding procedure.

Before he was removed last month because of a controversial decision to impose martial law in December, former conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had promised to increase the country's nuclear power exports. He said they had decreased because the previous liberal government tried to reduce the country's use of nuclear energy. Yoon's government had planned to export 10 nuclear power reactors by 2030.