SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean authorities on Wednesday minimised the impact of a Czech court’s decision to suspend an $18 billion project for South Korea to construct two nuclear reactors in the country, characterising it as a transient obstacle and voicing optimism that the agreement will ultimately move forward.

A group from South Korea, led by the state-owned Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, thought they would finish the deal this week with a company owned by CEZ, the biggest electricity provider in the Czech Republic. But, a court in the Czech Republic 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 reporters in Prague that the court's ruling would merely postpone the formal contract signing, and that all other related processes would continue as planned, provided the transaction is completed. He stated that the Czech government evidently did not foresee the court's decision to temporarily halt the agreement and that CEZ intends to lodge an appeal.

The timeframe for the Czech Supreme Administrative Court's decision on that appeal remains uncertain.

According to Ahn, the Czech government evidently did not consider EDF's claims a significant issue, as they proceeded with the planned signing ceremony, suggesting a discrepancy between their assessment and the court's decision.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated on Wednesday that his administration respects the court's ruling, subsequently remarking: "I am confident that the judges and the court fully appreciate the gravity of this decision and its ramifications for the security and national interests of the Czech Republic."

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

In July, CEZ chose KHNP over EDF as the favored contender for constructing two 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors at the Dukovany facility. EDF lodged a legal complaint last week subsequent to the Czech Republic’s competition authority dismissing its challenge concerning the bidding procedure.

Before he was removed last month because of a controversial martial law decision in December, the 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 use less nuclear energy at home. Yoon's government had planned to export ten nuclear power reactors by 2030.