Nuclear energy industry leaders from around the world kicked off a two-day meeting in Seoul Friday to help advance atomic safety and support global security.

The Nuclear Industry Summit will offer viable recommendations to leaders of 58 nations and international organizations who will participate in the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit scheduled for early next week, said the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the event's organizer.

The major topics of the gathering attended by about 200 corporate leaders and energy experts include nuclear material control and the safety of atomic power plants, it said.

Preventing nuclear fissile material from getting into the wrong hands and safeguarding atomic power plants have emerged as key issues that need to be addressed by the international community.

The latter gained major importance after a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant a year ago and caused the worst radioactive contamination since the 1986 Chernobyl accident.

Other topics on the agenda are ways to safeguard sensitive nuclear technology and data, and alternative fissile power sources to generate energy, the KHNP said.

"The Seoul gathering seeks a consensus to establish more cooperative security measures from the private sector as well as governmental nuclear organizations in the industry," said KHNP President Kim Jong-shin.

In addition to energy companies from around the world, representatives of agencies including the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Nuclear Energy Agency, the World Association of Nuclear Operators and the World Nuclear Association are also attending the talks.

The industry summit, meanwhile, is expected to allow the international community to gauge the strength of South Korea's atomic power industry and highlight the importance of nuclear energy safety, the KHNP said, adding it could also promote Seoul's efforts to export its knowhow in nuclear power generation. (Yonhap News)