Ministry of Industry: "North Korean Nuclear Power Plant Has Not Been Pursued as Government Policy" (Update)

"Internal Idea Level"... Repeated Denial of North Korea Nuclear Power Plant Construction Push Suspicion
Regarding Document Deletion, "Not an Intervention at the Ministry of Industry Level" Clarified

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has repeatedly emphasized that the suspicion of secretly promoting nuclear power plant construction in North Korea is "not true." It also clearly stated that "it was not promoted as a government policy."

Shin Heedong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, held a briefing at the Government Seoul Office on the 31st and said, "We have confirmed the contents, preparation background, and subsequent progress of the report 'Plan for Promoting Nuclear Power Plant Construction in the North Korean Region' within the Ministry of Industry," clarifying the matter.

According to some media reports, among the 530 internal nuclear power-related documents deleted by a Ministry of Industry official during the audit interference of Wolseong Unit 1 by the Board of Audit and Inspection, many included materials related to North Korean nuclear power. It is reported that folders named 'pohjois' (meaning 'north' in Finnish) and 'Bukwonchu' (an abbreviation that can be read as 'North Korea Nuclear Power Promotion') contained files such as stepwise cooperation tasks for building North Korea's power infrastructure, the current status of North Korea's power industry, and German integration case files.

Regarding this, spokesperson Shin explained, "After the first inter-Korean summit held on April 27, 2018, various practical policy ideas were reviewed by each department of the Ministry of Industry in preparation for the possible activation of inter-Korean economic cooperation in the future." He added, "The North Korean nuclear power-related documents were confirmed to be internal Ministry of Industry materials reviewed as energy sector cooperation ideas." This reconfirmed the previous position stated on the 29th through reference materials that these were "internal materials reviewed at the idea level."

According to the Ministry of Industry, the document was prepared in a total of six pages, including four pages of main text and two pages of reference materials. The Ministry explained that the document "describes the limitations of reviewing (North Korean nuclear power promotion)." The reason cited was that the preface stated, "This report is an internal review document and not an official government position," and the conclusion included, "Due to high uncertainty depending on the content and level of denuclearization measures between North Korea and the U.S., there are limitations in deriving specific promotion plans, and additional review is necessary after denuclearization measures are concretized."

Spokesperson Shin repeatedly denied the suspicion that nuclear power plant construction in North Korea was promoted, saying, "The content of the document describes various possibilities at the idea level without concrete plans, mentioning not only the North Korean region but also other locations within South Korea as potential sites, or the option of constructing nuclear power plants in South Korea and transmitting power to the North." He added, "This document was concluded without further review or external disclosure." He explained, "Unnecessary controversy regarding North Korean nuclear power plant construction is spreading, and although this is currently a matter under trial, we are stating our position within the minimum necessary scope."

According to the prosecution and others, the list of deleted documents reportedly included reports on the trends of civic groups critical of the nuclear phase-out policy and resumes of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) vice presidents. Regarding this, spokesperson Shin said, "It was a normal level of reporting, not surveillance of private organizations," and "Regarding the KHNP vice president's resume, the resumes of executives of affiliated public institutions are considered normal materials."

Regarding claims that nuclear power plant construction in North Korea was reviewed since the previous government, he flatly denied, saying, "(The deleted North Korean nuclear power materials) are not materials reviewed since the Park Geun-hye administration." Earlier, Yoon Junbyung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that nuclear power plant construction in North Korea was reviewed since the Park administration.

Spokesperson Shin said, "Regardless of the reason, the deletion of documents is regrettable," and added, "There was no involvement at the Ministry of Industry level, and it is expected to be revealed through investigation and trial."

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