[WHY&NEXT] The High-Level Special Act Passed After the General Election... The Key Issue Is 'New Nuclear Power Plants'

No Discussion at February Extraordinary National Assembly
Government Hopes for Final Approval at May Session
Opposition: "Cannot Agree to Special Law Increasing Nuclear Power Plants"

The High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act failed to pass the National Assembly's standing committee, resulting in the failure to enact it during the February extraordinary session. The ruling party and the government plan to make every effort to pass it in May, when the last plenary session of the 21st National Assembly will be held, but there are still many hurdles to overcome. Both ruling and opposition parties agree on the need to no longer delay the establishment of a plan for spent nuclear fuel management, but they are sharply divided over the claim that the Special Act would "open the way for the government's expansion of nuclear power plants."

According to the National Assembly Legislative Information System on the 3rd, there are three versions of the High-Level Special Act, all pending in the Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Venture Business Committee, the relevant standing committee.

Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 Overview (File Photo)

The special bills were proposed in the following order: ▲In September 2021, Rep. Kim Seong-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed the "Special Act on the Management of High-Level Radioactive Waste" ▲On August 30, 2022, Rep. Kim Young-sik of the People Power Party proposed the "Special Act on High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Facilities, etc." ▲On August 31, 2022, Rep. Lee In-seon of the People Power Party proposed the "Special Act on the Management of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Support for Hosting Areas." Among these, the bill proposed first by Rep. Kim Seong-hwan has not passed the standing committee for over two years and five months.

The government explained that most of the major issues regarding the High-Level Special Act have been agreed upon, leaving only two contentious points: whether to base the capacity of on-site storage facilities on the amount generated during the operation period or the design life, and the specification of the target date for the management facility. The ruling party has expressed willingness to agree to the opposition's proposal, and if these issues are resolved quickly, the Special Act could be enacted within the 21st National Assembly.

However, the nuclear power industry remains skeptical. An industry official said, "The unresolved issues between the ruling and opposition parties are only the reasons that have surfaced on the surface," pointing out that "the fundamental reason the High-Level Special Act has not been enacted is whether to expand new nuclear power plants."

In fact, Rep. Kim Seong-hwan emphasized the necessity of enactment at the first full meeting of the Industry Committee after proposing the High-Level Special Act. According to the minutes of the meeting, Rep. Kim said, "We have not been able to build a permanent high-level radioactive waste disposal site for 30 years. For the enactment law (High-Level Special Act), it is necessary to promptly hold a public hearing to gather opinions from related parties and then carefully legislate the bill in the legislative subcommittee based on that." He added, "If we do not build a permanent disposal site through a very democratic process in any space, the temporary storage problem will inevitably remain, so solving this issue quickly is a task for South Korea."

Subsequently, members of the People Power Party also proposed related bills one after another, stating that "finding a solution to the high-level radioactive waste issue is a national duty that can no longer be postponed." With the ruling party joining in, the enactment process of the Special Act gained momentum. At the subcommittee meeting held on December 15, 2022, it was decided to hold a public hearing, which took place at the National Assembly on January 26 of last year. At the subcommittee meeting held in May of the same year, major contentious issues were identified, and it was decided to discuss these issues in the next meeting.

However, the atmosphere changed drastically in July last year when the government officially announced the promotion of new nuclear power plant construction. Rep. Kim Seong-hwan questioned the government, saying, "How many more nuclear power plants does the government plan to build in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand? Four or six? Aren't they currently making such plans?" Rep. Kim Hoe-jae of the same party argued, "The premise for discussing the High-Level Special Act was 'no increase in nuclear power plants,' but this has collapsed," adding, "We need to know how much the current government intends to increase nuclear power plants, and the review of this bill should proceed only after this is clarified."

Ultimately, at the most recent subcommittee meeting held on November 22 last year, Rep. Kim Seong-hwan emphasized, "When I drafted this bill, the situation was like building an apartment without a bathroom, so we had to build a bathroom somehow. But processing this bill in the current situation, where the government is effectively saying it will expand nuclear power plants indefinitely, could send the wrong signal to the public, so I find it difficult to agree to the enactment of the Special Act." He made it clear that without the government's withdrawal of the policy to promote new nuclear power plants, there would be no enactment of the High-Level Special Act.

The government is pinning its hopes on the enactment of the High-Level Special Act at the last plenary session of the 21st National Assembly scheduled for May. However, the situation is likely to become more difficult. First, the government will announce the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, which outlines the basic direction for power supply and demand over the next 15 years. Since the government has already officially announced the promotion of new nuclear power plants, the plan is expected to include the specific scale of new nuclear power plant construction. The government initially planned to release a draft in the first quarter of this year, but it is now more likely to be disclosed after the April general election.

A ruling party official said, "The opposition party wants to discuss the High-Level Special Act again after the announcement of the Basic Plan, but this ultimately means they do not intend to enact the Special Act," adding, "Even if the ruling party wins the general election, the possibility of enacting the Special Act in the 21st National Assembly is low."

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