Regarding Reports on 'Disciplining Blue House Secretary over Wolsong Unit 1'... Board of Audit and Inspection Urges "Refrain from Speculative Reporting"

Board of Audit and Inspection "Not Finalized... Final Draft Being Prepared"
Audit Results Expected to Be Released Around the 20th

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

On the 19th, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) requested restraint from speculative reports regarding the audit results before the official report on the appropriateness of the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 is released, following reports that the BAI included Blue House secretaries as key subjects of disciplinary action.

The BAI stated, "Regarding the audit of Wolseong Unit 1, we are currently drafting the final version of the audit results. Once the draft is reviewed and approved, and preparations for disclosure such as reporting to the National Assembly are completed, the audit results will be made public."

Earlier, a domestic media outlet reported that as the BAI concluded its audit on the appropriateness of the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, it was confirmed that Blue House secretaries at the time of the shutdown decision were included as key subjects of disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, the audit results related to Wolseong Unit 1, which have been surrounded by controversy for over a year, are expected to be disclosed around the 20th.

On the morning of the 19th, the BAI convened the sixth day of the Audit Committee meeting to discuss the appropriateness of the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Unit 1. The meeting was attended by BAI Chairman Choi Jae-hyung and five audit committee members. It is anticipated that the final report will be approved that afternoon and disclosed the following day.

At the National Assembly Judiciary Committee audit on the 15th, Chairman Choi Jae-hyung said regarding the timing of the announcement of the audit results on the appropriateness of the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Unit 1, "It could be as early as Monday (19th) or at the latest Tuesday (20th)." He added, "During the four days of the Audit Committee meetings on the 7th, 8th, 10th, and 13th, all important issues were agreed upon."

Previously, there was growing speculation that the BAI had reached a provisional conclusion that the economic feasibility of Wolseong Unit 1 was underestimated, which led to conflicts between Chairman Choi and the ruling party. Allegations of external pressure on the audit results, clashes between Chairman Choi and pro-government audit committee members, and 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 appropriate, 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, it is assessed that the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy will inevitably suffer a blow.

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