Yang Yi-won-young: "Wolseong Unit 1 Audit Should Not Be Used as a Political Tool"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Yang I-won-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "I hope the audit of Wolseong Unit 1 will not be used as a political tool, and I urge the Board of Audit and Inspection to promptly deliver accurate results through an objective and comprehensive approach."

On the 17th, Representative Yang said at a press conference, "The representatives of the public lawsuit group seeking to invalidate the extension permit for Wolseong Unit 1 decided yesterday (the 16th) to file a public interest audit request. They intend to uncover additional illegalities and improper administrative actions through the public interest audit, based on the first trial court's ruling that found violations in the Wolseong Unit 1 lawsuit." He was one of the members of the public lawsuit group.

Representative Yang pointed out, "An audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection is inappropriate for policy decisions made to keep promises to the public," adding, "The most supported pledge in the 20th presidential election under the Moon Jae-in administration was a 'safe and clean energy policy.' To keep promises to the public, the administration announced the 'Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan' and is transitioning energy based on fossil fuels to eco-friendly renewable energy."

He continued, "In line with this, the closure of Wolseong Unit 1, not only the economic feasibility evaluation but also changes in the policy environment, were comprehensively judged by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy."

He stated that since there were illegalities from the process of extending the lifespan of Wolseong Unit 1, an audit is necessary. Representative Yang said, "Wolseong Unit 1 has already received a cancellation ruling in the lawsuit invalidating the lifespan extension permit," and added, "The 2009 decision by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to spend 560 billion KRW to replace the reactor pressure vessel for the lifespan extension was deemed illegal, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, which included disqualified members and its chairman, conducted a flawed review process that lasted until 2 a.m., approving the lifespan extension, which was also considered illegal."

He emphasized, "Above all, the first trial court clearly stated that extending the lifespan of Wolseong Unit 1, which began operation in 1983, in 2015 was in violation of current laws because it was in a dangerous state that did not even reflect the lessons from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident."

Representative Yang said, "Forcing an increase in the utilization rate of a nuclear power plant that cannot guarantee safety is extremely dangerous. Wolseong Unit 1 was nothing but a troublesome, money-consuming facility for the operator," and added, "I hope the controversy over the Wolseong Unit 1 audit will be resolved quickly so that the policy decisions made by our people, who chose safe and clean energy, can be steadily pursued."

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