Final Audit Results of Wolseong Unit 1 Postponed Until After the General Election

Civic Group: "Is Not Announcing Forensic Results Before the General Election a Sign of Ignoring the Election?"
Some Say Courts Also Delay Rulings After Evidence Collection to Allow More Thorough Review Before Announcement

Shinwolseong Units 1 and 2

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The announcement of the Board of Audit and Inspection's (BAI) audit results on the validity of the early shutdown of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 is highly likely to take place after the general election. Nuclear-related civic groups filed a complaint against BAI Chairman Choi Jae-hyung at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office on the 6th.

According to the BAI on the 14th, the audit committee meeting held on the 9th reviewed the audit contents regarding the early shutdown validity of Wolseong Unit 1 but has not yet reached a resolution. Even if a resolution is reached, procedures such as drafting a public statement, preparing a summary, and making corrections must be followed, so finalizing and announcing the audit results and submitting them to the National Assembly may not be possible immediately after the resolution.

A BAI official stated, "The committee discussed until late the previous night but did not reach a resolution," adding, "It will be difficult to resolve within the day, and an announcement will also be challenging."

Earlier, Chairman Choi said at a press conference in February that he would not consider the general election when deciding whether to announce the results before the election. Nuclear-related civic groups have expressed doubts about the credibility of Chairman Choi's remarks.

The National Assembly passed a resolution in September last year requesting an audit from the BAI, citing problems with the decision to shut down Wolseong Unit 1 early. The BAI was required to report the results to the National Assembly within three months of receiving the audit request, meaning the audit should have been completed by December. However, the audit period was extended by two months until the end of February. The BAI completed the on-site audit, including data collection, on January 22.

In response, seven civic groups including the Nuclear Policy Coalition, Nuclear Workers' Solidarity, Facts and Science, Active Free Citizens, Citizens Together, and Energy Hope Group, along with the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power union and residents of the nuclear power plant area, filed a complaint against Chairman Choi with the prosecutors on the 6th.

These groups claim that the BAI conducted forensic analysis on computers of KHNP officials to collect data and, despite completing the on-site audit in January, submitted the audit contents to the audit committee late. They argue that the results could have been announced by the 31st of last month to neatly conclude the matter before the general election but were not, raising concerns. They have claimed that this delayed announcement by the BAI may violate the National Assembly Act.

A representative of the civic groups said, "We heard that the audit committee has still not reached a resolution," criticizing, "It is self-contradictory to say that the general election is not being considered when a thorough investigation including forensic analysis was conducted but the audit results are not announced until just before the election." They added, "This is not only a violation of the National Assembly Act but also neglect of duty as public officials."

A BAI official responded, "We are not adjusting the schedule considering the general election," and said, "Given the complexity of the matter and the procedures for clarifying the opinions of the audited institutions, we cannot agree with the claim that the announcement was delayed." The official seemed to suggest that, as courts do not immediately issue rulings after collecting evidence, complex policy matters should be announced after more in-depth review rather than immediately after evidence collection.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.