Audit Results of Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant 'Pandora's Box' to Be Opened Next Week

Choi Jae-hyung, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection: "Possibly as early as the 19th, but no later than the 20th"
"Currently drafting the final processing text reflecting the opinions of the audit committee"
Controversy inevitable over fatal blow to Moon administration's nuclear phase-out or allegations of external pressure on the Board of Audit and Inspection

Choi Jae-hyung, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is responding to lawmakers' questions during the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Board of Audit and Inspection held on the 15th.

The audit on the validity of the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, which has been mired in controversy for over a year, is expected to be concluded next week.

On the 15th, at the National Assembly Judiciary Committee's state audit, Choi Jae-hyung, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), said regarding the announcement timing of the audit results on the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Unit 1, "It could be as early as Monday (the 19th), or at the latest Tuesday (the 20th)." He added, "On the 7th, 8th, 10th, and 13th, the Audit Committee reached consensus on all major issues over four days."

Chairman Choi explained, "Currently, we are drafting the final processing proposal that reflects the opinions of the audit committee members raised during the audit," and added, "If this were a trial, it is the stage where judges agree and then draft the original document."

He further stated, "Since consensus on the issues has already been reached, the audit committee members are expected to agree on the final draft around tomorrow (the 16th)," and "The draft will be finalized by Monday (the 19th) at the latest."

The audit on Wolseong Unit 1 has exceeded the statutory audit deadline by over eight months and is currently in the final review process of the result report. Meetings were held on the 7th, 8th, 12th, and 13th of this month, but no conclusion was reached, and discussions were postponed until after the state audit. The BAI is likely to hold the fifth meeting on the 16th to approve the audit result report.

Regarding the delay in announcing the audit results, Chairman Choi said, "I apologize and ask for forgiveness," adding, "As the chairman who did not properly direct the audit, I bear the greatest responsibility." He explained, "This matter is not as simple as it appears from the outside," and "The involvement of various complex issues was also one of the causes of the delay."

He also said, "This was an audit with significant resistance," and "After the National Assembly's audit request, officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy deleted all related materials, which took time to recover, and it was quite difficult during the testimony process."

The National Assembly requested the BAI to audit matters related to Wolseong Unit 1 through a plenary session resolution on September 30 last year. However, as of the 15th, the 382nd day, the audit results have not yet been finalized.

Chairman Choi Jae-hyung of the Board of Audit and Inspection is having a conversation with Jeon Gwang-chun, the 2nd Deputy Secretary-General, during the audit of the Board of Audit and Inspection at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly held on the 15th.

Earlier, as speculation gained traction that the BAI had reached a provisional conclusion that the economic feasibility of Wolseong Unit 1 was underestimated, conflicts arose between Chairman Choi and the ruling party. Along with allegations of external pressure on the audit results, rumors of clashes between Chairman Choi and pro-government audit committee members, as well as controversies over coercive investigations of current and former officials from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, were also raised.

Therefore, regardless of the outcome, a political storm is anticipated. If the conclusion supports the government's policy that the nuclear plant shutdown was justified, the opposition is expected to criticize the BAI's lack of independence and spread allegations of external pressure. Conversely, if the conclusion opposes the shutdown, the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy will inevitably suffer a blow.

The BAI is also responding sensitively to the perception that this audit is a 'nuclear phase-out audit.' On the 13th, the BAI stated, "We are only examining the validity of the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Unit 1 according to the National Assembly's audit request," and "The so-called government's 'nuclear phase-out policy' or 'energy transition policy' is not the subject of this audit." Regarding criticism that the review is unusually prolonged, the BAI denied internal power struggles within the audit committee, stating, "It depends on the scale of the audit, the complexity, and difficulty of the matter."

Meanwhile, in December 2016, when Moon Jae-in was the former leader of the Democratic Party, after watching the nuclear disaster film 'Pandora,' he emphasized, "We should not just avoid opening Pandora's (nuclear) box, but remove the Pandora's box itself," and stressed, "We must stop additional nuclear plant construction and move toward a denuclearized and nuclear phase-out country."

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