South Korea President Lee Jae Myung identified fusion as one of seven strategic emerging technologies expected to drive the country’s next phase of economic growth. Lee called for sustained government support for fusion development, including consideration of public-private investment structures.
Local governments across Korea are pushing to host a fusion research center. The project, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, promises to bring significant economic growth, the creation of thousands of jobs and the development of a world-class research hub. The ministry plans to select the final site by the end of November.
Magnetic confinement: Plasma is heated to 100 million °C or more, then squeezed and held in place by strong magnetic fields, allowing many fusion reactions to occur. (Example: tokamaks, stellarators)
Inertial confinement: Tiny fuel pellets are struck by powerful lasers. The outer layer explodes outward, compressing the core to fusion conditions for a few nanoseconds, producing a brief but intense pulse of energy from each pellet. (Example: National Ignition Facility)
Hybrid systems: Combine compression (e.g., from lasers, plasma pistons, or mechanical impact) with moderate magnetic fields to reduce energy losses and improve confinement.
Electrostatic fusion: Uses high electric potentials to accelerate ions toward a central reaction zone, causing them to collide at high energies and fuse. The ions are guided and confined by electric fields rather than magnets, creating a compact environment for fusion reactions.