Survey shows most S. Koreans fear safety of atomic power plants

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- An overwhelming majority of South Koreans oppose additional construction of atomic power stations due to safety concerns, a survey showed Thursday.

In the survey commissioned by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, a Seoul-based environmental group, 77.8 percent of the 1,000 adults aged 19 or older polled expressed concerns on the safety of nuclear power plants. Only 17.5 percent answered they didn't have fear for the nuclear plants, the survey showed.

The survey was conducted before the government is set to finalize its long-term plan for energy polices.

Last month, a consultation group comprised of private and government experts recommended the government maintain the ratio of power generated by nuclear energy in the range of 22-29 percent in the next two decades, according to sources. This is far lower than the 41 percent proposed for the 2008-30 period under the previous Lee Myung-bak administration.

The plan, if realized, would mean a significant turnaround from the country's decades-old energy policies...

Nuclear power safety
Old boy network forms a chain of corruption
2013/06/09 06:20


As President Park Geun-hye said recently, it is an unpardonable crime to compromise safety in nuclear power generation in pursuit of personal gain. What kind of catastrophe a nuclear accident can inflict on a nation has been shown by the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won shared the president's deep concern about nuclear safety when he promised on Friday to leave no stone unturned in the government's investigation into the provision of substandard parts and materials for nuclear power plants.

Now targeted for criminal investigations are those that are found to have been involved in falsifying test certificates for parts and materials used in nuclear power plants. They have put the nation under the threat of nuclear hazards by trading nuclear safety for their personal interest. None of them will deserve even an iota of leniency....

Arrest warrants sought for 13 in corruption involving nuke power operator
2013/08/07 04:45

SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- State prosecutors said Wednesday they have requested court-issued warrants for 13 people to detain them for further questioning on charges that they forged quality warranties of components used in local nuclear reactors.

The suspects allegedly supplied various critical plant equipment to Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), the state-run operator of nuclear power plants, after doctoring their safety tests and certificates, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) said.

Releasing a preliminary probe outcome into a snowballing corruption scandal involving the nuclear power operator, the SPO said that two have been put in jail with court-issued warrants pending trial and a decision on warrants for 11 others will be made soon.

Additionally, some of the suspects allegedly took bribes from testing company officials in return for accepting substandard parts with fabricated safety tests, prosecutors said.

"We plan to wrap up the corruption investigation by end of this month...