New Chairperson of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Review Committee Appointed: Professor So-Young Kim of KAIST

Professor So-Young Kim of the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy at KAIST, elected as the new chairperson of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Policy Review Committee. (Photo by Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Policy Review Committee)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chae-seok] Kim So-young, a professor at the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Policy Review Committee (Review Committee). She will be responsible for the public discussion on the temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant and the construction of a permanent storage facility.

The Review Committee made this decision at a temporary meeting held on the 1st, attended by all 10 members. Chairperson Kim earned a bachelor's degree in English Education and a master's degree in Political Science from Seoul National University, and a Master of Science in Social Science Methodology and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Northwestern University in the United States.

She has conducted research in areas such as research and development policy and the convergence of science, technology, and humanities and social sciences. She has served as the dean of the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy at KAIST, director of the Korea 4th Industrial Revolution Policy Center, and a member of the National Research and Development Deliberation Council under the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The new chairperson was elected following the sudden resignation of former chairperson Jeong Jeong-hwa. This occurred amid difficulties during the public discussion process concerning the construction of the temporary storage facility (MACSTOR) for spent nuclear fuel at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant. As the MACSTOR is expected to reach capacity by March 2022, the Review Committee has been working to gather opinions from local residents regarding the expansion of the MACSTOR within the Wolseong site.

The opinion-gathering process did not include residents from the Ulsan area, and there were conflicting views among residents of Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju City, near the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, causing ongoing disputes. After repeated disruptions, the Review Committee ultimately saw former chairperson Jeong announce her resignation on the 26th of last month.

Former chairperson Jeong criticized, "A public discussion excluding stakeholders such as the anti-nuclear camp is a tilted playing field," and said, "The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy initially set up the process incorrectly." She argued, "The Review Committee should be operated under the direct authority of the President or the Prime Minister, not the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to ensure neutrality and fairness."

Due to opposition from local residents, related explanatory meetings have already been postponed three times. Differences of opinion remain among the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, residents, and civic groups. The 'deadline' for the MACSTOR expansion at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant is next month. If construction does not begin, units 2 to 4 of Wolseong will be forced to stop.

Chairperson Kim will also be responsible for the public discussion regarding the construction of a temporary storage facility to dismantle Kori Unit 1 by the end of 2032 and the construction of the country's first permanent storage facility.

The Review Committee stated, "We will proceed with the opinion-gathering process without any setbacks and consistently continue discussions on necessary details."

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