SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials on Wednesday minimised the significance of a Czech court’s decision to temporarily halt an $18 billion project for South Korea to construct two nuclear reactors there, characterising it as a transient obstacle and conveying assurance that the agreement would ultimately advance.

A group from South Korea, led by the government-owned Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, thought they would finish the agreement this week with a company that is part of CEZ, the biggest electricity company in the Czech Republic. But a court in the Czech Republic stopped CEZ from signing the contract because the court is looking at a complaint from a French company called 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 official contract signing, and that all other procedures would continue as planned, provided the agreement is finalised. He added that the Czech government evidently did not foresee the court's decision to halt the agreement, and that CEZ intends to appeal.

The Czech Supreme Administrative Court's potential ruling on that appeal remains uncertain.

Ahn stated that the Czech government did not perceive EDF's claims as a significant issue and proceeded with the planned signing ceremony, suggesting a disparity between the government's assessment and the court's decision.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated on Wednesday that his government acknowledges the court's ruling, subsequently remarking: "I am confident that the judges and the court appreciate the significance of this decision and its repercussions for the security of the Czech Republic and our national interests."

South Korea's acting president, Lee Ju-Ho, affirmed that Seoul intends to engage in close dialogue with the Czech Republic to facilitate the swift conclusion of the agreement.

In July, CEZ chose KHNP as the favoured bidder over EDF to construct two 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors at the Dukovany plant. EDF initiated court proceedings last week after the Czech Republic's competition authority dismissed its appeal concerning the bidding procedure.

Before he was removed last month because of a controversial martial law order 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 under the previous liberal government’s plan to reduce the use of nuclear energy at home. Yoon’s government had set a goal to export 10 nuclear power reactors by 2030.