Audit Begins on 'Nuclear Phase-Out Process'... Im Jong-seok Says, "Now That My Term Is Guaranteed, I'm Doing Politics"

"Choi Jae-hyung, Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is clearly engaging in politics"

Im Jong-seok, former Chief of Staff at the Blue House / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Former Blue House Chief of Staff Lim Jongseok strongly criticized the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) on the 14th for launching an investigation into the 'process of establishing the nuclear phase-out policy,' saying it has "crossed the line."

In a post on his Facebook on the same day, Lim said, "The BAI reportedly started an audit on the legality of the Moon Jae-in administration's energy policy formulation process from the 11th," beginning his remarks.

He continued, "In effect, the BAI is trying to judge whether the government's energy transition policy is appropriate," and pointed out, "Currently, Chairman Choi Jae-hyung of the BAI is clearly engaging in politics."

He added, "They are guaranteed their term so they can work with conviction without worrying about political pressure, but they are using their term as a shield to boldly engage in politics," and claimed, "I sense the same smell from Jeon Gwang-hoon, Yoon Seok-yeol, and now Choi Jae-hyung."

He further criticized, "When told to guard the house well, they try to take over the master bedroom. When told to work with a sense of ownership, they act like the owner," and said, "Wouldn't it be more honest to participate in the Gwanghwamun Taegeukgi rallies like Jeon Gwang-hoon?"

A local resident is passing by in a place overlooking Unit 1 of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju-si. / Photo by Yonhap News

In another post, Lim also explained in detail the necessity of the government's energy transition policy. He said, "When the Moon Jae-in administration took office, it was time to finalize the 8th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, which is formulated every two years," and explained, "Upon review, the 7th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand established in 2015 had excessively overestimated demand."

He continued, "Considering the revised electricity demand, the government reduced coal-fired power and rationally adjusted the overly concentrated nuclear power plants," and stated, "The result was the early closure of aged coal-fired power plants and the suspension of new coal-fired power plant projects."

He emphasized, "Although Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6 were to be halted as a campaign promise, the construction process had already progressed significantly and was subjected to public deliberation," and added, "In the case of Wolsong Unit 1, a court ruling before the Moon administration revealed issues with extending its lifespan, and after the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake, it was necessary to reflect public concerns about safety."

Lim said, "Arguing about the sequence of these events is purely theoretical and far from practical policy operation," and added, "If an audit is necessary, it should be on the excessively overestimated 7th supply plan and the illegal and unlawful extension of Wolsong Unit 1's lifespan."

On October 20th last year, staff at the National Assembly Secretariat in Yeouido, Seoul, are organizing the audit result report submitted by the Board of Audit and Inspection regarding the feasibility review of the early shutdown of Wolsong Unit 1. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the BAI previously released the final report on the 'Audit of the Validity of the Early Closure Decision of Wolsong Unit 1' on October 20 last year. The report came 386 days after the National Assembly requested the audit on September 30, 2019, and 234 days after the legal audit deadline had passed.

In the report, the BAI stated that the 'economic feasibility' basis for the early closure decision of Wolsong Unit 1 at the Gyeongju Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant was unreasonably undervalued. However, the BAI did not make a judgment on whether the government's early closure decision was valid or invalid.

At that time, the ruling party dismissed the report as not concluding that the closure decision was wrong and criticized the BAI for attempting to force the resolution.

Shin Young-dae, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a National Assembly briefing when the audit report was released, "The BAI's oversight resulted only in institutional warnings and minor disciplinary actions for some procedural shortcomings, and no issues such as errors in the closure decision were pointed out," but also criticized, "The BAI held audit committee meetings for three consecutive days just before the general election, attempting to force the resolution."

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