How Safe Are Nuclear Power Plants in South Korea?

Session: Grand Ballroom 3
Date/Time: February 20, 2013 / 14:00-15:15

Moderator: Ahn Joonhong, University of California, Berkeley

Speakers:

Kim Jiyoon, The Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Lee Jong-In, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety
Suh Kune Yull, Seoul National University

Rapporteur: Paolo Venneri, Korea Advanced Institute for Advanced Science and Technology

Press Release Brief

1. Korean nuclear power plants get a 98 out of 100 in terms of safety. While very good, there is still room for improvement.

2. The issue surrounding nuclear safety is not the safety of the plants themselves, but rather how much the Korean people trust their government.

3. Korean nuclear regulators have taken active steps in improving their approach to safety following nuclear disasters around the world.

4. The shortage of qualified manpower to work Korea`s nuclear power plants is detrimental to power plant safety.

5. The regulators and sellers of nuclear energy should not be combined into the same agency.

6. “The regulatory body needs to be a watchdog, not a lapdog.”