S. Korea, France hold joint coordinating committee on nuclear energy in Saclay - Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and France commenced their 27th joint coordinating committee on nuclear energy in France's southwestern region of Saclay this week and discussed nuclear technology cooperation, Seoul's science ministry said Friday.

The two-day event ending Friday (local time) comes as the two nations mark their 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, the Ministry of Science and ICT added.

The event has been organized since 1982, following the signing of a bilateral agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy in 1981.

During the meeting, South Korea and France discussed 21 areas of technological cooperation in fields such as nuclear energy research, nuclear safety and the nuclear industry.

The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in next-generation nuclear reactors, as well as in the nuclear energy supply chain, following related memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed during two bilateral summits this year, held in April and September.

"We will use the joint coordinating committee as an opportunity to further strengthen the cooperative framework between the two countries ... to drive new progress in nuclear cooperation," the science ministry was quoted as saying.