Board of Audit and Inspection: "Closure of Wolseong Unit 1 Underestimated Economic Feasibility," Validity Judgment Deferred

Audit on the Validity of the Early Shutdown Decision for Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1

On the afternoon of the 20th, the Wolsong Unit 1, which has been shut down, can be seen at the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant in Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju-si. On the same day, the Board of Audit and Inspection released the audit conclusion on the "appropriateness of the early shutdown decision of Wolsong Unit 1."

On the 20th, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) released the conclusion report on the audit of the early shutdown decision of Wolseong Unit 1, stating that "the economic feasibility of continuing operation compared to immediate suspension of Wolseong Unit 1 was unreasonably undervalued." However, the BAI did not conclude whether the government's decision to shut down the nuclear power plant early was appropriate or inappropriate.

The BAI said that this audit mainly focused on the appropriateness of the economic feasibility evaluation of Wolseong Unit 1, adding, "The propriety of the policy decision to pursue the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1 is beyond the scope of this audit."

The BAI emphasized, "According to the board of directors' resolution, the decision to immediately suspend Wolseong Unit 1 was made by comprehensively considering factors such as safety and local acceptance in addition to economic feasibility," and "there are limitations in viewing the audit results as a comprehensive judgment on the validity of the immediate suspension decision of Wolseong Unit 1."

Furthermore, the BAI requested disciplinary action against Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy employees who obstructed the audit by deleting related materials. The president of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power received a stern warning for failing to manage and supervise such acts that undermine the reliability of the economic feasibility evaluation.

By not concluding that the government's decision to shut down Wolseong Unit 1 early was unjust, the Moon Jae-in administration's 'nuclear phase-out policy' has avoided a fatal blow. However, political repercussions are expected regarding the 'audit resistance' by government ministries revealed during the audit process and allegations of external pressure surrounding BAI Chairman Choi Jae-hyung.

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