"Measures Needed for Safe and Transparent Operation of Yeonggwang Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant"

Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Civil and Environmental Safety Monitoring Committee Issues Statement

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeon Seong] The Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Civil and Environmental Safety Monitoring Committee recently issued a statement urging the establishment of measures for safe and transparent operation of the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant.

The group stated, “Due to poor construction of the reactor containment building, the concrete on the outer wall of the reactor containment building of Hanbit Unit 3, which has been shut down for two years since 2018, has crumbled, exposing the rebar,” adding, “This has occurred in 178 locations.”

They continued, “Last year, the Hanbit Headquarters attempted to systematically conceal the unqualified operation of the reactor control of Hanbit Unit 1, and when a senior executive was even reported to judicial authorities, they promised transparent operation and communication to the county residents,” they pointed out.

They further claimed, “Although the Hanbit Headquarters confirmed poor construction in November last year, they did not disclose it for a full four months, and only revealed it after our committee confirmed the facts following a tip-off,” adding, “This again raises suspicions of concealment.”

They said, “The Hanbit Headquarters insists it was not a concealment, but this was due to the Hanbit Headquarters refusing to conduct inspections citing costs and internal checks when county residents requested confirmation of concrete corrosion, resulting in no action taken,” emphasizing, “The Hanbit Headquarters should have naturally informed the public immediately upon discovery of this incident.”

Along with this, they stated, “It is beyond concealment and amounts to deceiving the county residents that there was not a single mention during the process of regional resident participation consultations requested to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy since November last year for the structural soundness evaluation of the poorly constructed reactor containment buildings of Hanbit Units 3 and 4,” adding, “The reactor containment building must be constructed and maintained to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes and terrorism to isolate critical core equipment and highly radioactive materials from the natural environment.”

The committee emphasized, “The reactor containment building of Hanbit Unit 3, due to poor construction, has reached a situation where many rebars are exposed externally as the outer wall concrete has fallen off following holes in the inner wall concrete, making it impossible to guarantee its original function.”

They also addressed the communication methods of the Hanbit Headquarters.

The group said, “Unlike the past precedent where the internal communication committee was formed by requesting the minimum recommendation of members from the Yeonggwang County Governor, recently there have even been cases where the Hanbit Headquarters unilaterally appoints and commissions communication members,” expressing, “It seems the willingness to communicate with the region has disappeared, and there is suspicion that the focus is solely on the unilateral operation of Units 3 and 4 without consultation with the region on the nuclear power plant safety issues, which are the greatest concern of local residents.”

Finally, the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Civil and Environmental Safety Monitoring Committee demanded ▲the establishment of measures to verify the concrete soundness of the reactor containment buildings of all Hanbit units ▲inspection and disclosure of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s public communication and participation according to Article 9 of the Nuclear Safety Act ▲immediate convening of the Environmental Monitoring Coordination Committee according to Article 13 of the monitoring organization operation guidelines and investigation of concealment causes ▲establishment of resident participation and communication measures related to Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant safety ▲and drastic measures such as personnel reform of the immature and uncommunicative Hanbit Headquarters.

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