Yoon Jae-ok "Democratic Party Criticizes Government's Nuclear Expansion Policy Due to Attachment to Nuclear Phase-Out"

"‘In South Korea, Nuclear Power Is the Only Condition for Responding to the AI Era’"

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized the Democratic Party of Korea for calling the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's nuclear power expansion policy a "anachronistic decision," pointing out that "renewable energy cannot be the main energy source." He also emphasized the importance and necessity of expanding nuclear power in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).

On the 23rd, Yoon held a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly and said, "If the Democratic Party continues to criticize the government's nuclear power expansion due to lingering attachment to nuclear phase-out, it is no different from giving up the existence and development of South Korea in the AI era."

He stressed, "Due to the nature of AI, it consumes an enormous amount of electricity, and it is predicted that by around 2050, 1,000 times more electricity than now will be needed," adding, "Under South Korea's natural conditions, nuclear power is the only option to respond to the AI era."

The government held the 14th public discussion forum the day before at the Gyeongnam Provincial Office in Changwon City under the theme "Revitalizing the Nuclear Power Industry, Vibrant Changwon and Gyeongnam," announcing measures to revitalize investment in the nuclear power industry. In response, Yang Yi-won-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker, commented, "(The government) plans to invest 4 trillion won in nuclear power research and development (R&D) over five years, which is an anachronistic decision," and criticized, "Who would be foolish enough to drastically cut R&D budgets for basic and advanced sciences and invest in a declining industry like nuclear power?"

Yoon criticized the Democratic Party's call for a significant expansion of renewable energy, saying, "Expanding renewable energy is correct, but it cannot be the main energy source," and explained, "For South Korea to achieve renewable energy efficiency and stability at the national level like the United States or Canada, an enormous investment of 1,200 trillion to 1,800 trillion won is required." RE100 refers to a campaign where companies pledge to meet 100% of their electricity consumption with renewable energy.

Yoon highlighted the effects of the government's nuclear power expansion policy and revealed future plans. He emphasized, "The export value of nuclear power equipment under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration has exceeded six times the total export value during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration," adding, "Sales hit bottom in 2021 during the Moon administration and increased by about 4 trillion won in 2022." He continued, "The government, judging that the nuclear power ecosystem has greatly recovered due to the nuclear revitalization policy, will fully support efforts to leap forward as a nuclear power powerhouse," and said, "During the five-year term of the Yoon administration, 4 trillion won will be invested in nuclear power R&D innovation."

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