President Park Geun-hye and visiting Microsoft founder Bill Gates met Monday and shared views on Korea’s drive for a creative economy and ways to cooperate in developing a next-generation nuclear reactor and alternative energy sources.

During their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Park showed respect to the software mogul’s “creativity and efforts to eradicate poverty.”

Gates’ visit received attention as he had hinted at co-developing a next-generation nuclear reactor with South Korea’s Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Some news reports also paid attention to Gates’ focus on alternative energy development, saying his stance may help add weight to the Seoul government’s pending nuclear energy agreement renegotiation with Washington. The two governments are currently at odds over Korea’s demand to reprocess spent fuel rods to fight a growing nuclear waste problem.

To a question whether he could help the Korea-U.S. negotiation move forward during a speech at the National Assembly earlier in the day, Gates responded that desirable results should come from the Korea-U.S. talks and that nuclear energy must play its role in meeting future energy needs.

Stressing that the volume of waste could be reduced in fourth-generation reactors, Gates was also quoted as saying that creating energy that does not emit carbon dioxide was as important as supplying energy at low cost.

Gates also mentioned Korea’s growth from a recipient of international aid to a donor and to use it as an experience to consider how to contribute to the world.

It has been several years since the superenterpreneur lunged into the field of nuclear energy by leading a next-generation nuclear technology drive through his company TerraPower.

During his visit here, Gates expanded his idea by reportedly agreeing to review joining hands with South Korean experts in developing the fourth-generation reactor in a meeting with professor Chang Soon-heung, a professor of nuclear quantum engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and a leading authority in nuclear study who had been a part of Park’s transition team.

Chang was quoted as saying in news reports that the KAERI and TerraPower will review the feasibility of ways to jointly develop a prototype reactor for the next three months before making the final decision. Gates was expected to explain such a plan to Park in their visit and ask for the Seoul government’s support.

During his speech at the Seoul National University on Sunday, Gates stressed the need for alternative energy, saying that nuclear reactor energy is not the only alternative as it entails safety and waste problems and that a new innovation is required.

As for his thoughts on what the Korean version of creative economy should be, Gates emphasized the importance of fostering elementary knowledge in order to achieve creativeness beyond imitation.

The same day, Gates visited executives of Samsung Group and shared views on IT-related issues. Gates was quoted as saying that he had a useful discussion on cooperation between Samsung and Microsoft.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)