South Korea’s president orders restoration of nuclear power industry

July 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered Commerce, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang yang on Tuesday to restore the nuclear power industry and related works, presidential spokeswoman Kang In Sun said.

Lee has disclosed plans to provide works worth 98.74 million euros (130 billion won) this year to companies in the nuclear power industry, including the construction of nuclear reactors scheduled to start in 2024, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.

During the presidential campaign, Yoon promised to abolish the nuclear power phase-out policies of the previous administration.

However, since taking office in May, the new South Korean government has vowed to expand the country’s nuclear power generation to more than 30 percent of total power generation by 2030, in order to strengthen energy security and achieve better the goal of carbon neutrality.

In this regard, the South Korean president has asked the minister to actively support the development of a base of parts and equipment for the semiconductor industry and take the initiative to produce results on exports of nuclear plants, weapons and infrastructure, in line with the meetings held last month on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid.

Also, Yoon has urged the minister to ensure smooth electricity supply during the summer season.