South Korea is suspending operations at two nuclear reactors for safety reasons, creating a situation that could point to power supply disruptions this winter.

The No. 5 and No. 6 reactors at the Younggwang nuclear-power plant will be shut until the end of this year, as Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. plans to replace a number of parts to ensure they meet quality norms, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a statement Monday.

There won't be any significant economic impact from the nuclear reactor shutdowns and the ministry is taking precautionary steps to prevent the country from having to resort to rolling blackouts to keep consumption levels under limit, as it had to do in September last year, said a ministry spokesman.

The state-run operator recently discovered that some parts suppliers had forged quality certification documents; it plans to "fully replace" affected parts, the ministry said.

Five of the country's nuclear reactors have been using parts that will eventually have to be replaced, it said.

Nuclear-power plants account for around a quarter of Korea 's generation facilities, according to KHNP. The two idled reactors account for around a tenth of the country's nuclear power, or 2%-3% of the country's total power generation, based on Dow Jones Newswires calculations.

South Korea will have 16 nuclear reactors operating normally once the two units at Younggwang are shut, an official with KHNP said by telephone Monday.

The ministry said it plans to address potential power-supply shortages this winter due to the unplanned reactor shutdowns. It will set up an emergency task force to deal with the situation, it said.

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