A defining Korean contribution

2026-07-28 - Six sector modules are now in the ITER tokamak pit. Vacuum vessel sector module #1 was installed in an overnight operation from 27 to 28 July 2026.

2026-07-27 - For every sector lift operation he has participated in, this team member from the CNPE consortium has a sticker on his helmet. He is about to add "SM1," for sector module #1 (27-28 July 2026).

2026-07-27 - It's nearly midnight, and the installation operation is progressing well. The module will stay suspended 500 millimetres above its final landing position for a number of hours, while all final metrology checks are completed.

2026-07-27 - The descent of sector module #1 is monitored from a port cell.

2026-07-27 - The sector module and its rigging weigh nearly 1,400 tonnes.

2026-07-27 - The bridge cranes have brought sector module #1 into the exact position it needs to be in to begin its descent.

2026-07-27 - Part of the tokamak assembly team receives a briefing before sector module #1 is lowered into the tokamak pit. The lift operation at ITER on 27-28 July mobilized approximately 100 people.

2026-07-27 - Vacuum vessel sector module #1 is approaching the tokamak pit. It will be installed across from the other five modules and is coming over the wall "backwards" (with its outboard edge first).

2026-07-27 - Sector module #1 leaves the sector sub-assembly tool and pivots into the orientation required to pass over the wall separating the Assembly Hall from the tokamak pit. Suspended beneath the crane, the sector module and rigging weigh nearly 1,400 tonnes.

2026-07-27 - The ITER assembly teams are transferring another vacuum vessel sector module into the tokamak pit today. It will be the sixth (of nine) to be installed, completing two-thirds of the plasma chamber.

2026-07-22 - Director-General Pietro Barabaschi brings guests from Korea into the Tokamak Building to see where five sector modules—soon six—are positioned in the tokamak pit. From left to right: Kijung Jung, who was at the head of ITER Korea throughout the vacuum vessel project in Korea; Sung Soo Kim, Deputy-Minister, Korean Ministry of Science and ICT; and Hyukwoon Kwon, Korean Ambassador to France.

2026-07-22 - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Vice President Kwangshik Won receives a commemorative plaque during the ITER Korean Fusion Day for his company's successful fabrication and delivery of four vacuum vessel sectors. The last Korean-built sector will be transferred from tooling to the tokamak pit next week.

2026-07-22 - ITER Korean Fusion Day takes place directly in front of the open doors of the Assembly Hall, revealing the staging and pre-assembly areas for ITER's largest components.

2026-07-22 - On 22 July, ITER Korean Fusion Day celebrates Korea’s contributions to ITER, with a special focus on the vacuum vessel. Next week, the fourth and final Korean-manufactured vacuum vessel sector will be transferred into the tokamak pit. Joining ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi on stage are Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to France, Hyuk-woon Kwon (left), and Deputy Minister of Science and ICT, Sung Soo Kim (right).