A defining Korean contribution

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).

2026-07-22 - Dignities, representatives from industry, and staff from Korea gather with ITER officials on Wednesday 22 July for Korean Fusion Day, celebrating the supply of four vacuum vessel sectors to ITER and the imminent transfer of the last Korean sector into the tokamak pit.

2026-07-21 - Two toroidal field coils have been upended in twin upending tools. Next, they will be transferred to the wings of a vacuum vessel sector sub-assembly tool.

2026-07-17 - ITER China and its contractor SWIP (Southwestern Institute of Physics) report that tungsten first-wall “finger” components for ITER’s enhanced heat flux blanket panels have successfully passed thermal cycling fatigue tests. The panels are designed to withstand peak heat loads of 4.7 MW/m².

2026-07-17 - The successful 66 kV energization of the first transformer serving the poloidal field coil power supply system has been achieved, validating the safety framework and commissioning methodology before teams continue the high-voltage commissioning of the other 31 transformers of the system.

2026-07-16 - This is the third rectangular bellows unit to be transported inside the Tokamak Complex.

2026-07-16 - Russian Federation Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov is welcomed by ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi during a visit to ITER on 16 July 2026. Minister Falkov and his delegation visited the worksite and discussed scientific and technological cooperation related to the ITER project.

2026-07-15 - Temporary clamps are removed from sector module #1 in preparation for its upcoming move to the tokamak pit.

2026-07-15 - Iuliia Diakova, Director of the Kurchatov Institute (sixth from right), leads a delegation on 15 July 2026 to discuss scientific and technical cooperation in the framework of a cooperation agreement signed with the ITER Organization in June.

2026-07-06 - Darren Locke (F4E), Massimo Battaglia (ITER), and Gonzalo Hinojosa Martinez (ITER) are seen with the equatorial port plug assembly tool, the first part of the cask and plug remote handling system to arrive at ITER. Along with its heavy duty omni-move transfer trolley, it will bring diagnostic and heating port plugs to the front of the vacuum vessel ports and then slide the plugs into the openings.

2026-07-04 - Indian Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman visits the ITER project on 4 July as part of an official four-day visit to France. She is welcomed to ITER headquarters by head of the Office of the Director-General Kattalai Ramachandran Sriram and Chief Scientist and Deputy Director-General Alain Bécoulet.