Nuclear Energy Plan

[Anchor Lead]

The government has announced a plan to phase out nuclear-generated electricity and expand the use of new renewable energy. Under the plan, the number of nuclear reactors in Korea will be cut by 50 percent in the next 20 years.

[Pkg]

After the citizens' panel recommended the completion of the Shin KORI 5 and 6 reactors, the government finalized its plan to end the nation's reliance on nuclear-generated electricity. Under the plan, the government will resume the construction of Shin KORI reactors 5 and 6, but will scrap the plans to build six new nuclear reactors. The operation of the Wolseong 1 reactor, whose lifespan had been extended, will soon be halted. Fourteen other aged nuclear reactors whose lifespan is to expire by 2038 will be shut down. As such, only 14 of the current 24 nuclear reactors will remain in the nation by 2038. Instead, the government will promote the use of new renewable energy from the current 7 percent to 20 percent in 2030. Presiding over a cabinet meeting, President Moon Jae-in said that the process of reaching a consensus on the Shin KORI reactors 5 and 6 has set a new example on solving social conflicts. He said it was meaningful because it has demonstrated the role of public opinion on his administration's energy-related policies.

[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "The process of reaching a public consensus was not about determining winners and losers or about "right" and "wrong". It was about unity and coexistence. The government must keep this in mind when devising follow-up measures."

The government has decided to establish a model for solving social conflicts by recording the process of reaching a public consensus through the publication of a white paper and producing a documentary film, as well as setting polling standards.