'Moon's Nuclear Phase-Out Abandonment' Declaration... Democratic Party Pushes to Elevate Nuclear Safety Commission to Ministerial Level

People Power Party to Propose Amendment
Moves to Strengthen Independence and Expertise

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the construction suspension site of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 in Uljin County, Gyeongbuk, on December 29 last year during his presidential campaign, announcing nuclear power pledges including a full review of the nuclear phase-out policy and the immediate resumption of construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The People Power Party is pushing to elevate the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, currently under the Prime Minister, to a ministerial-level agency directly under the President. This move is part of a strategy to strengthen the independence and expertise of the commission, alongside the declaration to abandon the previous administration's nuclear phase-out policy.

According to political circles on the 5th, Rep. Hong Seok-jun of the People Power Party plans to soon propose a partial amendment to the "Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission" reflecting this change.

In a phone interview, Rep. Hong said, "This is to make it an organization that can practically discuss nuclear power issues, starting with safety concerns," adding, "There have been evaluations that the commission does not collaborate well with other nuclear-related agencies, so this also aims to address that."

The amendment includes an intention to completely remove the previous administration's energy policy stance of nuclear phase-out. It proposes elevating the commission to ministerial status and reorganizing non-standing members with experts. Currently, the commission consists of one chairman, one standing member, and seven non-standing members; the amendment suggests restructuring it to five standing members, including one chairman and one vice-chairman.

During the Moon Jae-in administration, the commission faced controversy as it was filled with lawyers from the "Lawyers for a Democratic Society" and individuals unrelated directly to nuclear safety, such as those from natural sciences and health sectors, in line with the nuclear phase-out policy.

Fellow party members Rep. Kim Young-sik and Rep. Jung Dong-man have already proposed bills to amend the appointment and commissioning of commission members by explicitly specifying expertise, while Rep. Hwang Bo-seung-hee submitted a bill requiring consultation with the heads of metropolitan governments in regions with nuclear facilities before appointing members.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission was established in 2011 as an independent administrative agency directly under the President following the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. However, the Park Geun-hye administration, which took office in 2013, downgraded it to be under the Prime Minister, aiming to reduce presidential committees. Since then, there have been calls to elevate the commission back to be under the President due to the need to discuss safety-related issues.

When Rep. Han Jun-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed a similar bill in 2020, the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Broadcasting and Communications Committee noted in a review report that "there are concerns that having the commission under the Prime Minister contradicts the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s recommendation to separate nuclear promotion and safety regulation."

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