KHNP President Becomes WANO-Tokyo Regional Governing Board Chairman

Kim is elected unanimously by the board of directors meeting

Kim Jong-shin, president and CEO of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), was elected unanimously as the chairman of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO)-Tokyo Regional Governing Board on April 14. Kim has been credited for his 30 years of contributions to the development of the Korean nuclear power industry and promoting international cooperation with the global nuclear power industry based on reliability and confidence. He serves as a member of the WANO governing board representing Asian nuclear power operators in charge of 104 nuclear power units in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, India and Pakistan.
Kim said, “I’ll do my best to enhance the safety of both the existing nuclear power units and new ones in Asia, which are forecast to continuously rise by capitalizing on the experiences accumulated so far.”
WANO is an international organization of nuclear operators across the world that was established in May 1989 after the Chernobyl accident to establish a worldwide network of nuclear power stations. Its mission is to maximize the safety and reliability of the operation of nuclear power plants by exchanging information, encouraging comparison, emulation and communications among its members.
Meanwhile, KHNP President Kim held a ceremony to celebrate the launch of his second consecutive term as the president of the Korean nuclear power operator at the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) building in Seoul on April 6. He became the first public enterprise CEO to be given a second consecutive term under the Lee Myung-bak government. Kim was recognized for playing roles in Korea’s landing a deal to build four nuclear power units in the United Arab Emirates late last year.
A graduate of Seoul National University’s Mechanical Engineering Department, Kim has been with the Korean nuclear power industry for more than 30 years since beginning his career at KEPCO. He held such positions as the head of the Kori Nuclear Power Complex, chief of the KHNP Power Generation Division and the CEO of Korea Western Power Company before taking the helm at the KHNP in 2007.
In his inaugural speech, the KHNP CEO unveiled the 2010 top-four management goals: placing top priority on safety, securing global competitiveness, realizing harmony, and performance-oriented management.
He stressed that KHNP should go to great lengths to attach priority to the safety of the nuclear power units now under construction, while the construction and safety of nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates, using the same reactor models as those of Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 3&4, must be made without a hitch. In particular, he said, Korea’s exporting of nuclear power units to the UAE has enabled Korea to become a global center of implementing global nuclear power projects, and Korea needs to devote itself to developing technologies. Kim also pledged to make the KHNP a corruption-free zone. He noted that he will redouble efforts to establish an advanced labor-management system to ensure amicable labor-management relations. nw

KHNP President and CEO Kim Jong-shin delivers a speech as he takes office as the fifth president of KHNP on April 14. He was the first public enterprise CEO to be given a second consecutive term under the Lee Myung-bak government.