South Korean President Yoon pushes ahead with nuclear power policy: Approving new nuclear power plants at home, promoting nuclear power abroad

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol is reversing the anti-nuclear policy pursued by the previous Moon Jae-in administration and promoting the expansion of the nuclear power industry.
The government approved the construction of the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4, whose construction had been halted under the policy of the previous administration. It also plans to increase the nation's current 26 nuclear power plants to 30 by 2038, and to reduce the share of nuclear power in the total electricity supply.
The government plans to raise the tax rate from the current 30% to 35.6% in 2038. President Yoon is also promoting "nuclear power sales diplomacy." This month, he made an official visit to the Czech Republic and met with President Pavel.
The South Korean power company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was awarded the right of first refusal for a new nuclear power plant construction project in the Czech Republic in July this year.
Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011 and the 2016 earthquake in southeastern South Korea, where many nuclear power plants are located, concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants grew in South Korea. In June 2017, then-President Moon Jae-in announced his intention to detain the plant.
President Moon Jae-in declared, "We will thoroughly reconsider our nuclear power policy and abolish the nuclear power-centered power generation policy." At the time, nuclear power was the main source of electricity in South Korea, accounting for 30% of the country's electricity generation, but Moon said, "We will not prepare for it."
"We will scrap all plans to build new nuclear power plants in Korea and will not extend the design life of nuclear power plants. We cannot resist the trend of the times to move away from nuclear power," he said.
In addition, nuclear power plant design and construction companies have closed one after another, and the number of students in nuclear power-related departments at universities has also dropped sharply.
There was also criticism that this was going against the trend in the international community to actively utilize nuclear power in the future.
At the "Conference," he stated that "it is important to secure the world's leading nuclear technology," and showed a completely different view from his previous anti-nuclear stance.
Criticisms poured in. Lawmakers from the People's Power Party, which was the opposition party under the previous administration but is now the ruling party, criticized the move, saying, "They should honestly admit to the public that their nuclear phase-out policy has failed and say that nuclear power is the only thing we can rely on."
With the change of administration, President Yoon Seok-yeol, who took office in May 2022, reversed the previous administration's "anti-nuclear" policy. The current 26 nuclear power plants nationwide will be increased to 30 by 2038, and the electricity supply will be
The government has indicated a policy to raise the ratio of nuclear power in the country's total production from the current 30% to 35.6% by 2038. In February of this year, President Yoon held a press conference in Gyeongsangnam-do, the southeastern province that is the center of the nuclear power industry, where he
He visited Changwon City, South Korea, and emphasized that this year will be a year of renewed growth for the nuclear power industry.
On the 12th of this month, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission of Korea gave the go-ahead for the construction of the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4, which had been halted due to the policy of the previous administration.
The committee said it had assessed the structure and equipment of the nuclear plant, the suitability of the decommissioning plan after 60 years of operation, and safety to the public and the environment, and had concluded that there were no problems with the construction.
This is the first time construction permission has been granted for a nuclear power plant in eight years, since the Shin Kori Units 5 and 6 were granted in 2016. The approved Shin Hanul Unit 3 is scheduled for completion in 2032, and Unit 4 in 2033.
President Yoon is actively promoting nuclear power in Korea and is also conducting "nuclear sales diplomacy." On the 19th of this month (local time), he made an official visit to the Czech Republic and discussed the nuclear power plant contract with President Pavel.
The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, including through the construction of nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic and the construction of nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a South Korean nuclear power plant operator, was awarded the right of first refusal in July this year for the construction of two new reactors at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant, which is being promoted by the Czech Republic. President Yoon said
During his meeting with President Pavel, he emphasized that the nuclear power plant, which will be built jointly by Korea and the Czech Republic, will be a mutually beneficial project that will contribute to the economic growth of both countries.
They confirmed their cooperation toward the contract. President Pavel said, "I am optimistic that the Korean company will be able to make a final contract." If the contract is concluded, it will be the first time that Korea has exported nuclear power plants since the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2009.
The government is looking to take advantage of the growing global demand for nuclear power plants and is seeking to revive the nuclear power industry, which was sluggish under the previous administration, by taking advantage of the economic benefits. It also hopes to use the Czech Republic as a foothold for entering the European market.
The South Korean government is aiming to conclude the final contract around spring 2025. Meanwhile, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., a major U.S. nuclear power plant operator, has filed a lawsuit against Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., alleging that the company has infringed on its intellectual property rights in relation to the Czech nuclear power plant construction project.
The conflict is escalating as Estinghouse has filed legal action and petitions with the Czech anti-monopoly agency. President Yoon and President Pavel held a joint press conference after their meeting, saying, "We will work together to resolve the issue of intellectual property rights.
"The US government shares a firm sympathy for cooperation on nuclear power, and the South Korean government supports an amicable resolution of issues between South Korean and U.S. companies," he said.