South Korea's nuclear watchdog said Wednesday it would carry out a rigorous inspection of all the country's 23 reactors after a scandal involving unvetted components fueled public fears about nuclear safety.
South Korea
's
nuclear watchdog said Wednesday it would carry out a rigorous inspection of all
the country's 23 reactors after a scandal involving unvetted components fueled
public fears about nuclear safety.
The government on Monday said it was shutting down two reactors fitted with
thousands of parts that had been provided with forged quality and safety
warranties.
The two affected units at the Yeonggwang nuclear complex may remain offline
until early January, causing severe power shortages during the harsh winter.
"All 23 nuclear reactors in operation and five other reactors under
construction will be scrutinized," Shim Eun-jung, spokeswoman for the
Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, said.
"This kind of an extensive probe is rare," she said, adding that the
commission had set up an investigation team of nearly 60 private and state
experts.
The watchdog will also look into possible collusion by officials in the
state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, or KHNP, with the suppliers who faked
the quality certificates.
KHNP president Kim Kyun-seop told a parliamentary hearing Wednesday that he
would willingly resign once the situation had been resolved.
"I'm ready to step down any time...I will not cling to my post. I will
take all the responsibility," Mr. Kim said.
Kim Joong-kyum, the CEO of power utility Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEP) which
owns KHNP--had also offered to resign, the economy ministry said.
All parts supplied for use in
South
Korea
's 23 reactors, which meet
more than 35% of national electricity needs, require quality and safety
warranties from one of 12 international organizations designated by
Seoul
.
Officials said eight suppliers faked 60 warranties covering nearly 7,700 items
that had been provided at a cost of 820 million Korean won ($750,000).
Of the total, more than 5,200 parts have been used in five reactors--99% of
them in the two Yeonggwang units closed on Monday.
Knowledge Economy Minister Hong Suk-woo said Monday the "noncore"
components posed no safety threat.
But he warned of a "dramatic" drop in national power reserves if the
two reactors aren't brought back online as scheduled.
The government has vowed to stick to its nuclear power program despite public
concerns arising from last year's nuclear disaster in
Japan
.
South
Korea
plans to build an additional
16 reactors by 2030.
Doubts over safety standards were fueled in May when five senior engineers were
charged with trying to cover up a potentially dangerous power failure at the
country's oldest nuclear plant.
The Gori-1 reactor, built in 1978 near the southern city of
Busan
,
briefly lost mains power on Feb. 9 and the emergency generator failed to kick
in. The power cut caused cooling water to stop circulating.
Last month, authorities temporarily shut down two 1,000-megawatt reactors at
separate nuclear plants after system malfunctions. These were also blamed for
another reactor at Yeonggwang being tripped into automatic shutdown in July.
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