"Moon Jae-in's One Word Forced the Closure of Wolsong Unit 1" Former Auditor General Choi Jae-hyung Directly Criticizes 'Nuclear Phase-Out' in Gyeongju

Former Auditor General Choi Jae-hyung is visiting Donghwasa Temple on Palgongsan Mountain in Daegu on the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Choi Jae-hyung, former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection and a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, targeted President Moon Jae-in regarding the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1, stating, “It was revealed in the audit that the closure was forced by a single word from the president.”

Former Chairman Choi directly stated, “Since the prosecution’s indictment has led to the former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy and the CEO of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) bearing legal responsibility, the president must make responsible remarks.”

He strongly criticized the current administration’s ‘nuclear phase-out policy’ and demanded a statement from the president regarding the early closure of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1.

On the 7th, former Chairman Choi visited Gyeongju and Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province, where Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant is located. Following his visits to Daegu and Gumi the previous day, he continued his tour of the TK region.

While serving as the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, Choi announced audit results highlighting problems with KHNP’s economic feasibility evaluation, which was the basis for the decision to shut down Wolseong Unit 1 early, crossing a point of no return for the Moon administration.

The prosecution indicted former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-kyu and others based on the audit results from the Board of Audit and Inspection.

Regarding questions from reporters about suspicions of economic manipulation during the early shutdown process of Wolseong Unit 1, former Chairman Choi said, “Since the prosecution’s indictment has led to the former minister and KHNP’s CEO bearing legal responsibility, the president must make responsible remarks.”

At a meeting with residents near Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, he said, “The audit results clearly show that unreasonable procedures were carried out due to a single word from the president about when Wolseong Unit 1 would be shut down,” and fired a direct shot at President Moon Jae-in, saying, “The early closure of Wolseong Unit 1 was forced, and the economic evaluation and various figures were manipulated to forcibly shut it down.”

He claimed, “Nuclear power is not only a very important energy source for our country but also a future growth engine with world-class technology,” and added, “About 30% of our nuclear power industry has collapsed due to the government’s reckless nuclear phase-out policy.”

On the same day, former Chairman Choi visited Gyeongju Central Market and Pohang Jukdo Market, appealing, “A regime change is absolutely necessary to stop the tyranny of the Moon Jae-in administration,” and urged, “Please support me to create a better and beloved country.”

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