Woo Won-sik "Yoon, if confident, come out and debate... Attempting to prioritize nuclear power is extremely risky"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is answering reporters' questions after meeting with Professor Joo Han-kyu of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University, who has been leading criticism of the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy, in front of the Engineering Building at Seoul National University on the 5th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] Woo Won-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised his voice against former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who continues to criticize the nuclear phase-out policy, saying, "Returning to nuclear power is the shortcut to becoming a third-rate country," and urged, "If you are confident, clearly state your convictions in front of the people and be evaluated honestly."

On the 7th, Woo posted on his Facebook, saying, "Blind emphasis on nuclear power is like holding back South Korea, which is trying to lead the great era of energy transition, in an outdated industrial society and obstructing innovation."

Woo explained, "While new investments in renewable energy exceed 500 trillion won, nuclear power investments do not even reach 50 trillion won. The mainstream of the global energy market is renewable energy," adding, "Based on the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), nuclear power (112?189 dollars/MWh) is much more expensive compared to solar power (36?46 dollars/MWh) and wind power (29?56 dollars/MWh), which is a scientific conclusion."

He continued, "Already, 313 global companies worldwide, including Apple, Google, and Amazon, have declared RE100, pledging to supply all the energy needed for their product manufacturing from renewable energy," pointing out, "This is because falling behind the energy transition trend inevitably leads to exclusion from the global value chain."

He also criticized, "Nuclear power technologies such as SMR and nuclear fusion, which are emphasized as safe and new energy sources, may only be commercialized 30 years from now, and the generation of nuclear waste is the same as existing nuclear power plants," adding, "There is no difference from existing nuclear power plants in terms of nuclear risks and efficiency."

Woo said, "Ignoring this simple fact or being ignorant of the huge global historical trend while leading the 'anti-Moon front' with nuclear power is extremely dangerous," and added, "If confident, I demand a public debate on this issue with me, who has led the Democratic Party's energy transition."

Former Prosecutor General Yoon stated on the 5th, "The reason I entered politics is ultimately related to the Wolseong nuclear power plant incident and the government's nuclear phase-out policy," continuing his criticism of the nuclear phase-out policy.

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