The government panel tasked with overseeing public deliberation on the fate of two nuclear reactors decided Thursday to select around 350 citizens who will review whether to cancel the construction.

The panel under the prime minister's office made the decision during their second meeting where its members discussed procedures to collect public opinions over the now-suspended construction in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Panel members agreed to carry out the first opinion survey on the issue on around 20,000 citizens, who will be sorted based on their regions, gender and age to ensure fairness and objectivity. The survey will be conducted by next month through home and mobile phones, officials said.


Among the 20,000 citizens, the panel will select 350 people who will join the full-fledged deliberation process, officials said.

"It is not that the (350) people will determine whether to resume construction or not, but the panel will play a role of providing information that will help the government make its final decision," a panel official said on the condition of anonymity.

The government has vowed to accept whatever decision the selected citizens would make and ensure that the panel will carry out its mission in a "fair, politically neutral, objective and transparent" way.

The outcome of the panel's activities is expected to serve as a crucial gauge of public sentiment about President Moon Jae-in's energy policy.

The panel began its three-month operation on Monday amid concerns that the cancellation of the construction project, which is nearly 30 percent complete, would incur some 2.6 trillion won ($2.3 billion) in losses, and trigger many layoffs and damage suits.

The suspension of the construction last month was in line with Moon's pursuit of an energy policy shift away from nuclear power, which experts warn could lead to a hefty rise in electricity prices and a potential energy shortage. (Yonhap)