Role of Nuclear Industry in Enhancing Nuclear Security and Safety

The 2012 Seoul NIS will coincide with the 2012 Seoul NSS

Over 200 leaders of the global nuclear industry and representat-ives of international organizations from around the world will assemble at the Grand Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul on March 23-24 to participate in the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Industry Summit (NIS).
The 2012 Seoul NIS, a side event of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), to be held on March 26-27, will be the biggest-ever gathering in the history of the Korean nuclear power industry.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the organizer of the 2012 Seoul NIS, says that the event will contribute not only to effectively improving nuclear security and the safety of nuclear power facilities on which global attention has been mounting, but also to making up for the diminished confidence in nuclear power caused by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. Korea also hopes the event will serve as a good opportunity for the Korean nuclear power industry to enhance its global standing by publicizing its prowess as a nuclear power to the world.?
The 2012 Seoul NIS will be held under the theme “The Role of the Nuclear Industry in Enhancing Nuclear Security and Safety.”
Working groups and an international advisory committee comprising of global nuclear notables are at work to discuss pending issues such as the minimization of civilian uses of highly enriched uranium (HEU), the securing of sensitive information and the “nexus between security and safety post-Fukushima,” and to adopt a communique to be delivered to the upcoming 2012 Seoul NSS.
Participants will be given opportunities to tour Korean nuclear power facilities to take a look at the excellence of the Korean nuclear power industry as well as to appreciate Korean cultural heritage.
KHNP President Kim Jong-shin, concurrently chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2012 Seoul NIS, will deliver a speech at an opening ceremony session on March 23, followed by a commemorative speech by Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, and keynote speeches by representatives of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) and the World Nuclear Association (WNA).

THE BACKGROUND OF THE 2012 SEOUL NSS
The 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will be the largest summit in the security field that discusses international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups, with participation from more than 53 heads of state and international organizations. The main issues to be discussed at the Summit will be cooperative measures to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism, the protection of nuclear materials and related facilities, and the prevention of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.
U.S. President Barack Obama stated in his 2009 Prague speech that nuclear terrorism is a serious threat to international security, and expressed his will to lead global efforts to protect nuclear materials as part of his plan to realize his vision of a “world free of nuclear weapons.”
The first Nuclear Security Summit, the largest international meeting on nuclear power, was held in Washington in April 2010. The summit was attended by leaders from 47 nations and three international organizations °™ UN, EU, IAEA °™? including the P5 nations (nuclear weapons states) and states not party to the NPT, such as India, Pakistan, and Israel. The leaders discussed plans to strengthen nuclear security by preventing the misuse of nuclear materials by non-state actors.
The Republic of Korea, as host of the 2012 Seoul NSS, will play a leading role in coordinating participating countries’ views on key nuclear security issues and lead discussions on the drafting of the “Seoul Communique,” to be adopted by the Seoul Summit.
The selection of Korea as host of the 2012 Summit reflects the international community’s recognition of its world-class nuclear technology, its compliance with NPT obligations, and its exemplary use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The hosting of the NSS on the Korean peninsula will be highly significant given its implications within the context of denuclearization.

The control tower of Yongkwang Nuclear Power Unit 4

KHNP President Kim Jong-shin, concurrently chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2012 Seoul NIS