Nuclear Debate

[Anchor Lead]

A public debate committee on the shutdown of the two Shin KORI reactors begins on Monday. By October, the committee will decide on whether or not suspend the construction of the fifth and sixth reactors.

[Pkg]

This is the construction site of reactors 5 and 6 of the Shin KORI power plant, now 28 percent complete. The project was suspended by the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power corporation on July 14. The decision has sparked heated conflict, with some staging protests and others welcoming the decision. A public debate committee that will decide on the fate of the two reactors was officially launched on Monday. The committee will consist of nine members, including leaders and representatives of various sectors, such as humanities and sociology, science and technology, statistics, and conflict management. To ensure neutrality, those with vested interests in the project as well as officials from the energy sector were excluded. The committee will operate for three months. By late October it must draw a final decision on whether or not to suspend the construction of the Shin KORI reactors 5 and 6 for good. Its members will design a plan on how to collect public opinion on the matter, and select a citizens' jury, which will make a final decision. The success or failure of the committee will depend on the professionalism of its members and fairness in the decision-making process.

[Soundbite] Prof. Chung Beom-jin(Kyunghee Univ./Jul. 21) : "Drawing the right decision on scientific issues such as nuclear power from the standpoint of public awareness rather than facts is difficult."

The public debate committee plans to provide the jury with ample survey and research materials gathered by experts.