South Korean government expresses its confidence in nuclear

• 13 years ago (2011-04-13)
• Junior Isles

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South Korea will not scrap nuclear power as it is an important source of energy for the resources-starved nation, said prime minister Kim Hwang-sik, amid heightened concern about the safety of atomic power plants following Japan's nuclear crisis.

"We cannot abolish the nuclear power policy that we have pursued so far because we need to continue economic growth in a situation where we have no particular source of energy," Kim Hwang-sik said at a parliamentary meeting.

Kim made his remarks after calls for the government to reconsider its energy policy depending significantly on nuclear power and make a transition toward stable, renewable energy.

The cascade of failures at Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant has ignited debates among environmental groups and lawmakers on the use of nuclear power for Asia's fourth-largest economy.

South Korea currently gets about one third of its electricity from atomic power plants.

Although the government needs to develop renewable energy to meet power demands and consider shifting toward clean, sustainable energy in that regard, Kim said, "It is hard to give up or change the (nuclear) policy at this point."

Following Japan's nuclear crisis, a 40-member state nuclear inspection team has been testing the nation's 21 nuclear reactors to check their emergency response systems and facilities, particularly those built more than 20 years ago, according to the PM's office.