"The Core of the Controversy Lies in Government Policy Contradictions, Not North Korea's Nuclear Plant Construction"

Interview with Seokyun Ryeol, Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University

Professor Seokyun Ryeol, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] "The government focuses on the point that it did not consider nuclear power plants in North Korea, but the core of the controversy lies in the contradiction of government policy."

Professor Seo Gyunryeol, a nuclear power expert and professor of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University, made this claim in a phone interview with reporters on the 3rd regarding the recent scandal over the deletion of documents related to North Korean nuclear power plants by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. He pointed out that the core of the controversy is that the government's rationale for the nuclear phase-out policy has completely disappeared, regardless of building nuclear power plants in North Korea.

Professor Seo said, "It is inconsistent to abandon nuclear power plants that we are capable of operating well while promoting the construction of nuclear power plants in North Korea," adding, "I have also repeatedly argued that economic cooperation through building nuclear power plants in North Korea would be good, but the current problem is that the government has been implementing policies that are different on the surface and in reality."

He also criticized the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's recent attempt to downplay the issue by releasing the documents and claiming they were just internal ideas as "unconvincing." Professor Seo said, "Wasn't the nuclear phase-out initially just an idea?" and warned, "This controversy has erased the rationale for the nuclear phase-out and could cause serious national division."

He directly refuted the ruling party's view that nuclear power is dangerous. He criticized the use of "safety" as a rationale for the nuclear phase-out as "nonsense," stating that nuclear power is an excellent method of power generation in terms of cost, safety, and environmental aspects. He pointed out, "China is building about 100 nuclear power plants, and if an accident occurs, radioactive materials could reach the Korean Peninsula within half a day," adding, "Yet the government, unable to raise any objections to China, shut down Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1 immediately after their lifespans ended under the nuclear phase-out policy."

Professor Seo warned, "More documents may come out in the future, and this could escalate into a bigger incident than the controversy over the early closure of Wolsong Unit 1," adding, "This is a major failure of this government and could deal a direct blow to the nuclear phase-out policy."

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