A 500-member jury was formed Monday to deliberate on President Moon Jae-in's proposal to scrap the construction of two atomic power reactors in the southeastern city of Ulsan to lessen the country's dependence on nuclear energy, officials said.

The members were selected from a pool of 5,981 people who expressed willingness to take part in the process to determine the fate of the Shingori-5 and Shingori-6 reactors. They were among a total of 20,000 respondents in an initial survey conducted to select the jury.

The jury will hold its first meeting on Saturday for an orientation session.
 
After spending a month familiarizing themselves with the pros and cons of the project, they will spend three days together in a camp for final debates from Oct. 13-15. Three surveys will be conducted on the jury before, during and at the end of the camp.

Based on the results, the commission will unveil its recommendation on Oct. 20.

Ending the project was one of Moon's campaign promises. But rather than carrying out the pledge, Moon said he would first seek public opinion on his idea and formed the independent commission to collect that public opinion.

The proposal to scrap the reactors' construction sparked heated debate in a country that relies on nuclear reactors for about a third of its electricity. Proponents say the country should phase out nuclear power for safety and environmental reasons, but opponents say it will lead to a shortage in the power supply and a spike in electricity bills. (Yonhap)