GOV’T ON U.S. NUCLEAR FIRM’S LAWSUIT

[Anchor Lead]

The Korean government promised to act swiftly to deal with U.S.-based nuclear power company Westinghouse's lawsuit against Korea's nuclear reactor export. It is hard to predict how the lawsuit's outcome would impact Korea's future nuclear export.

[Pkg]

First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Oh Tae-seog emphasized the government must act swiftly to deal with Westinghouse's lawsuit against Korea. The U.S.-based nuclear firm is suing Korea to block export of nuclear reactors built using Westinghouse technology.

[Soundbite] Oh Tae-seog(1st Vice Minister of Science and ICT) : "It’s a corporate dispute but it’s an important issue nationally. The gov’t will respond to it swiftly and not leave it up to only the company to deal with."

Westinghouse is competing against the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power over a nuclear reactor export deal with Poland. The U.S. firm claimed the Korean firm used technology licensed by Westinghouse and should have gained its permission. But the Korean power company countered that all three core tech were independently developed proprietary technologies. The vice minister said it is difficult to predict at this point how the lawsuit would impact KHNP's potential exports to Poland and Czech Republic. When asked if the promising export to Poland had fallen through, he answered that it is not definite. Oh added the two corporations are working out their differences but stressed that a quick resolution is important.

[Soundbite] Oh Tae-seog(1st Vice Minister of Science and ICT) : "S. Korea and the U.S. cooperate not only in the nuclear power sector but in others. The issue should be worked out between the companies. But wouldn’t it be fastest to resolve it through discussion rather than lawsuit?"

Meanwhile, Vice Minister Oh presented Korea's reactor export expansion plan at the IAEA International Ministerial Conference underway in Washington.

[Soundbite] Oh Tae-seog(1st Vice Minister of Science and ICT) : "South Korea is capable of successfully constructing nuclear power plants wherever needed around the world."

He also emphasized the government's plan to resume building new nuclear power plants and boost the percentage of nuclear power generation in the energy sector to more than 30%.