Extensive Inspection into Safety of Nuclear Facilities

Accidents at Japanese reactors dampen the global nuclear resurgence

The government has launched an extensive inspection of the 21 nuclear power units in operation across the nation in reaction to the ongoing nuclear accidents in Japan.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) said in a policy briefing at Cheong Wa Dae on March 18 that the government will make comprehensive safety checks into the nation’s nuclear facilities from a new perspective, taking a lesson from a series of explosions at the nuclear power units at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Complex which released large amounts of radioactive materials into the atmosphere. The ministry said the Nuclear Power Safety Committee, an advisory body for ensuring the safety of nuclear power, was to be convened on March 21 to establish the inspection plan.
Departing from the past practice of inspection by safety regulation organizations and nuclear power operators, inspection teams will include a balance of civilian experts to explore subjective measures so that people can feel comfortable with the results.
The inspection, which will be conducted on all 21 nuclear power units in Korea, will focus on how to secure the safety of nuclear facilities in worst-case scenarios like Japan’s nuclear disaster. In particular, an inspection of the nine nuclear power units that have been in operation for more than 20 years, including Kori Nuclear Power Unit No. 1, will be more rigorous. nw

President Lee Myung-bak presides over a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on March 18 to beef up the surveillance of nuclear power facilities across the nation in reaction to the ongoing nuclear accident in Japan.

Photo by courtesy of the MCST