[2020 National Audit] Minister of Industry "Regret over Data Deletion... Board of Audit Not Denying Early Shutdown of Wolsong Unit 1"

"Ministry of Industry: No Evidence of Government's Systematic External Pressure"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] "Regardless of the reasons, I regret the deletion of government officials' data. However, I would like to clarify that it is not true that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy or the government exerted organized external pressure. I do not believe that the Board of Audit and Inspection denied the decision to prematurely shut down Wolseong Unit 1 itself."

On the 22nd, Seong Yun-mo, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated this during the National Assembly audit.

Gu Ja-geun, a member of the People Power Party, asked five questions to Minister Seong and Jung Jae-hoon, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, regarding the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit of the decision to prematurely shut down Wolseong Unit 1.

Gu asked Minister Seong about ▲whether the premature shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1 would be reconsidered ▲whether the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's position was that the deletion of data by its employees was 'active administration to realize national tasks' ▲whether there was any basis for concerns about safety and local acceptance ▲what alternatives existed for compensating economic damages in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

He asked President Jung whether they would request a prosecution investigation of related parties.

Regarding the first question about reconsidering the premature shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1, Minister Seong replied, "Yes. Our position is not to reconsider."

For the second question about the Ministry's position, Gu requested an answer before the response, but Minister Seong did not answer.

Regarding the third question about safety and local acceptance, he said, "I do not believe the Board of Audit and Inspection's criticism denied the decision to prematurely shut down Wolseong Unit 1 itself."

Regarding the fourth question, he said, "Discussions on separate supplementary measures for local governments affected by energy transition policies will proceed without hindrance," but added, "However, since there is no legislative precedent for direct compensation to residents when a national project is canceled, I believe separate legislation or measures are necessary."

President Jung responded to Gu's last question by saying, "Under current laws, there is no basis to restart a permanently shut down power plant, so it is difficult for Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, as the operator, to restart it unilaterally without government consultation."

Minister Seong addressed the suspicion of government officials deleting data by saying, "Regardless of the reasons, I regret the deletion of government officials' data," but added, "I would like to clarify that it is not true that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy or the government exerted organized external pressure."

Earlier, according to the Board of Audit and Inspection's announcement on the 20th, when Wolseong Unit 1 was prematurely shut down in 2018, the director in charge of nuclear power industry policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Secretary A deleted as many as 444 files (122 folders), and among these, 120 files were never recovered despite the Board's digital forensic investigation.