Officials downplay safety concerns despite incident frequency


Reactors at Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant in Busan and Younggwang Nuclear Power Plant malfunctioned on Tuesday, adding to public concerns about the safety of the nation’s ageing nuclear reactors.

The shutdown at Younggwang was the seventh this year for a nuclear reactor, coming just hours after Shin-Kori 1 reactor witnessed the sixth. It was also the first time two reactors halted operation on the same day.

The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. said the Shin-Kori 1 reactor ― an almost brand new facility― was turned off upon the discovery of a glitch in the plant’s control system.

“The reactor has since then been stabilized and there is no reason to fear nuclear radiation leaks,” KHNPC said in a statement.

Younggwang Nuclear Power Plant headquarters said in a similar statement that its fifth reactor was shut down due to a minor malfunction involving the reactor’s water supply system. KHNPC officials were dispatched to both reactors.

The agency claimed that such technical glitches are common for nuclear plants, and that Korea is considered to have some of the safest plants worldwide.

“Last year, we were at the top in terms of plants with the fewest malfunctions,” said one KHNPC official. For the 23 reactors in the country, the malfunction rate was under one, he added.

Shin-Kori 1 is one of the newer facilities, having started running just last year. It was built as an addition to Kori, Korea’s first facility for generating nuclear power that has been increasingly showing signs of wear and tear. Residents and environmental groups are now asking why the newer facility is also malfunctioning.

Adding to their worries is the current post-tsunami situation in Japan, where a nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture is considered to be leaking harmful nuclear material following a massive earthquake last year.

Further undermining the public’s trust is the latest string of scandals involving the KHNPC.

In July, a group of KHNPC employees was indicted for repeatedly taking bribes from suppliers. Up to 47 employees were found to have been involved in the scheme, highlighting the far-reaching scope of corruption at the government-run institute.

Last week, a couple of temporary employees of Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters delegated with fire-fighting duties were caught taking narcotics while on the job, according to the Busan District Prosecutor’s Office.

The two employees were arrested, while four of the top brass at the Kori headquarters were dismissed.

In hopes to find a more fundamental remedy, the KHNPC has recently undergone a drastic reshuffling of its top executives.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)