The National Assembly is weighing a parliamentary hearing on the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co.'s cancellation of its construction contract with South Korean builders Daewoo Engineering and Construction and Doosan Enerbility to build nuclear power reactors in Dukovany, Czech Republic.
Rep. Park Seong-min of the main opposition People Power Party said the South Korean consortium is plagued by internal problems and proposed convening a parliamentary hearing by the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Resources, SMEs and Startups Committee.
He cited local news reports alleging that the KHNP had sought to nullify its contract with Daewoo in favor of another subcontractor. The main cause cited was the parties' failure to narrow their differences over the contract amount.
Rep. Park Hee-seong of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea voiced agreement on the hearing.
He said the National Assembly should look into reported allegations that the KNHP had "aggressively sought to change the (previously agreed) contracting conditions and unilaterally pushed ahead with its terms," as the concerned parties, the government, the KHNP and Daewoo, were blaming each other.
However, Democratic Party Rep. Jang Chul-min deviated from that view. He said that while the rival parties might appear to be on the same page over the need for a hearing, it did not mean a compromise had been reached.
The issue came up during a general meeting of the standing committee on Friday that was held to discuss the 2027 budget.
During the meeting, the committee chair, Rep. Kim Sung-won of the People Power Party, asked for a bipartisan consensus on the hearing proposal. The meeting ended without consensus when Kim asked to resume the meeting on Monday.
The South Korean consortium, led by the KHNP, won the 24 trillion won ($18 billion) project in July 2024. The contract cancellation was announced in October.
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