Assemblyman Yongbin Lee: "Hyundai Construction Must Take Responsible Apology for Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Defects"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (hereinafter KHNP) has revealed that it requested Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the contractor, to issue an apology to the Yeonggwang region and the public regarding defects such as voids in the containment buildings of Hanbit Units 3 and 4.

It is pointed out that not only Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was responsible for construction, but also the institutions in charge of design, regulation, and supervision during the construction of Hanbit Units 3 and 4 cannot be free from responsibility for the poor construction.

According to the National Assembly Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee member Lee Yong-bin (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Gwangsan-gu A), who received the National Audit data from KHNP on the 11th, KHNP sent a total of four official letters to Hyundai Engineering & Construction from October 2018 to September this year and discussed sharing responsibility for the defects.

In the fourth official letter dated last month 18th, KHNP again proposed jointly or separately promoting an apology announcement to the region and the public for the poor operation of Hanbit Units 3 and 4.

Regarding this, KHNP reported that Hyundai Engineering & Construction has shown a reserved stance, requesting more time.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction has shown an irresponsible attitude by not providing related information during the investigation of causes such as voids in Hanbit Units 3 and 4 or in discussions on KHNP’s follow-up measures, citing that the warranty period for construction quality had expired.

However, Hyundai Engineering & Construction was able to establish itself as a leading company in nuclear power plant construction starting from winning the contract for Hanbit Units 3 and 4, which carried the title of the ‘Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant.’

After constructing Hanbit Units 3 and 4, Hyundai Engineering & Construction was responsible for a total of nine domestic nuclear power plants (Wolseong Units 2, 3, 4; Hanbit Units 5, 6; Shin-Kori Units 3, 4; Shin-Hanul Units 1, 2).

Since Hyundai Engineering & Construction is also participating in the ongoing Shin-Hanul Units 1 and 2 construction project, there is a call for responsible explanations.

Along with Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the institutions responsible for design, regulation, and supervision during the construction, which conducted the structural integrity evaluation of Hanbit Units 3 and 4, are also not free from responsibility for the poor construction, according to Representative Lee.

At the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) board meeting held on August 14, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), which conducted a technical review of KHNP’s structural integrity evaluation, pointed out a lack of procedural guidelines, inspection methods, and experience in personnel, highlighting challenges in promoting domestic nuclear power plant localization for the first time in Korea.

The NSSC chairman also stated at the meeting that KINS, NSSC (formerly the Ministry of Science and Technology), KHNP, Korea Electric Power Technology Co., and Hyundai Engineering & Construction were all involved in the defect issues of Hanbit Units 3 and 4.

At the time of construction, the inspection agency was KINS, the operator was KHNP, the designer was Korea Electric Power Technology Co., and the constructor was Hyundai Engineering & Construction.

When defects such as voids in the containment buildings of Hanbit Units 3 and 4 surfaced during the recent national audit, a consultative body consisting of nine members?including the four participating institutions responsible for design, supervision, and construction, the NSSC, and private experts?was formed upon the National Assembly’s proposal.

However, the NSSC has not held any follow-up meetings since the launch of the consultative body, citing incomplete inspections of Hanbit Units 3 and 4 as the reason.

Representative Lee said, “Although this was a national project aimed at domestic localization of Korea’s first nuclear power plant, it was pushed forward in a forceful manner despite concerns about poor construction and safety raised by local residents from the beginning. The entities responsible for design, supervision, and construction at the time must sincerely apologize to the local residents and the public who have suffered anxiety and hardship for over 30 years, and prepare safety enhancement measures that prioritize the lives and safety of the people.”

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