Prosecution Indicts Former Blue House Chief Kim Soo-hyun for Illegal Shutdown of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1

The prosecution investigating the suspicion of the Moon Jae-in administration's 'early shutdown of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1' has indicted former Blue House Policy Chief Kim Soo-hyun on charges of abuse of authority.

The Criminal Division 4 of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-hoon) on the 19th indicted former Chief Kim without detention on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of business.

Kim Soo-hyun, former Chief of Policy Office at the Blue House.

According to the prosecution, former Chief Kim conspired with former Blue House Industrial Policy Secretary Chae Hee-bong and former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-kyu, who were previously indicted, to pressure Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, which opposed the early shutdown of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 due to concerns about large-scale economic losses from early closure before the design life, to submit the 'Facility Status Survey Form' in November 2017.

Subsequently, former Chief Kim is accused of forcibly pushing Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to pursue an immediate shutdown plan between April and June 2018, excluding even the 'operate for a certain period then stop' plan that was being negotiated between the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power officials.

At that time, former Chief Kim, who was the Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Blue House, served as the head of the Blue House 'Energy Transition Task Force (TF)' team, acting as the control tower for the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy.

Former Chief Kim reportedly responded during two prosecution investigations on the 15th and 19th of last month that he 'received reports but never gave instructions.'

However, the prosecution judged that former Chief Kim, as the head of the presidential secretariat's 'Energy Transition TF,' led the nuclear phase-out policy and illegally pushed and executed the suspension of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 without following the necessary legal procedures and requirements, based on searches and investigations of the Presidential Archives and related persons, and indicted him on this day.

Earlier, the prosecution summoned and investigated Moon Jae-in administration officials related to this suspicion, including former Presidential Chief Economic Secretary Hong Jang-pyo on the 8th of last month and former Presidential Science and Technology Advisor Moon Mi-ok on the 9th.

Former Minister Baek and former Secretary Chae were indicted in June 2021 on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of business and are currently undergoing first trial proceedings.

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