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In less than 10 years, the first commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR) plant in Korea will reach its official design life. As part of safety activities, developed countries have already implemented periodic safety review (PSR) or equivalent programs to check and improve the safety of operating nuclear power plants (NPP) during their plant life. At the end of 1999, it was decided by the Korean Atomic Energy Safety Committee to adopt the PSR program and to apply it to Korean operating NPP. Since Kori Unit 1 started the review for the first tentative application of PSR as a model case in May 2000, it is now progressing well. Management of aging is one of the major factors to be considered in PSR and life extension of a nuclear plant. This paper is intended to introduce the regulatory aspect and strategy of Korean PSR. The background and scope of basic PSR guidelines are described, and a summary of technical criteria for aging management, which shows a regulatory direction for PSR, is also presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]