KHNP CEO Elected as Korean Nuclear Power Industry Safety Committee Chmn

Kim gives a keynote speech at the World Nuclear Association (WNA) Symposium in London

Kim Jong-shin, president and CEO of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), has been elected the first chairman of the tentatively-named Korean Nuclear Power Industry Safety Committee, a body of the CEOs of 14 nuclear power companies in Korea, at its inaugural session on Oct. 19.
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.
Kim was elected the chairman of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) by the Tokyo Regional Governing Board on April 14, 2010. 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.
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 and encouraging comparison, emulation, and communications among its members.
Kim became the first public enterprise CEO to be given a second consecutive term under the Lee Myung-bak government. Kim was recognized for playing an important role in Korea's landing of 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 has 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.

'NUCLEAR POWER,
REALISTIC ALTERNATIVE'

KHNP President Kim Jong-shin delivered a keynote speech at the World Nuclear Association (WNA) Symposium in London on Sept. 15 in which he said "nuclear power generation is sure to be the most realistic energy at present."
Kim, also a WNA director, said it is true that things surrounding nuclear power have changed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, but despite this, nuclear energy is the most realistic alternative in consideration of several perspectives.
The KHNP president said KHNP carried its in-house safety examination into all nuclear power plants in Korea and a special team from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, comprised of outside experts, also conducted a safety probe following the Japanese nuclear disaster. The outcomes of the inspections showed that the plants proved to be safe against tsunami.
The Integrated Regulatory Review Service by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Korea's response following the Japanese nuclear accident was swift and effective, and the nuclear plants in Korea maintain the highest safety levels, he noted.
Kim said Korea has established 46 short and long-term plans to enhance safety against natural disasters, and KHNP will invest about $1 billion over the next five years to translate those plans into action. nw

KHNP President Kim Jong-shin

Photo on courtesy of KHNP