Czech nuclear deal not canceled

[Anchor]

Regarding the Czech court's injunction of the nuclear power plant contract just before its signing, the governments of South Korea and the Czech Republic stepped up to clarify that the contract has not been canceled.

In response to concerns that legal risks were overlooked, the government explained that the Czech side also did not anticipate this situation.

Park Kyung-jun reports.

[Report]

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun traveled to the Czech Republic to finalize the nuclear power plant contract, but returned empty-handed due to the Czech court's injunction and offensive from the French competition.

In response to criticism that the risk of a "contract suspension" lawsuit filed by the French company was overlooked, Minister Ahn explained that it was also unexpected for the Czech side.

[Ahn Duk-geun/Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy: "I think no one expected this kind of outcome…."]

However, the government stated that all preparations, except for the contract signing, have been completed.

The Czech government has also pre-approved the contract so that it can be signed immediately once the court's permission is granted.

[Petr Fiala/Czech Prime Minister: "We have approved it so that we can sign a contract with the supplier as soon as the time is right."]

As the delay in the contract increases construction costs, both the Czech side and our side want a quick conclusion to finalize the bid.

Therefore, both the government and the industry view the possibility of the contract being canceled to be low.

However, it remains uncertain when the Czech court's decision will be made, and political variables such as the Czech general elections in October are also obstacles.

The French company that filed the lawsuit continues to raise issues, claiming that the construction cost proposed by Korea is too low.

The Czech government actively refuted this, stating that the proposal from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was the best in terms of price, local company participation, and construction period.

[Jung Beom-jin/Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Kyung Hee University: "While the French engineers may want to blame government subsidies for the low price due to industrial competitiveness, it is baseless nitpicking…."]

On the other hand, there are concerns domestically that the profitability was set too low, to which the government countered that it was the capabilities of 'Team Korea' that were being evaluated rather than costs.

KBS News, Park Kyung-jun.