Expert Group Leading Yoon's Energy Policy... 'Anti-Nuclear Phase-Out' Specialists Positioned [Collapsed Nuclear Ecosystem ⑤]

Nuclear Industry Facing Revival Opportunity...Energy Experts in Transition Committee Draw Attention
Including KAIST Professor Jeong Yong-hoon...Belonging to Professors' Group Criticizing Nuclear Phase-Out
Mid-30s SMR Expert Also Joins...NDC Implementation Plan Needs Revision
Jeju Research Institute Director: "Current NDC Framework Weak...Carbon Neutrality Committee Must Be Reorganized"

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Junhyung] The nuclear power industry, which faced the risk of ecosystem collapse due to the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy, is now encountering a chance for revival under the next government, drawing increased attention to energy experts joining the Presidential Transition Committee.

According to related ministries on the 24th, the Economic Subcommittee 2 of the Transition Committee, responsible for industry and employment policies, is composed of 4 transition committee members, 9 expert members, and 8 working-level members. Among the 9 expert members, three are energy experts: Professor Jeong Yonghoon of KAIST's Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, Professor Park Juheon of Dongduk Women's University’s Department of Economics, and Joo Youngjun, Director of Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Among the working-level members, Kim Jihee, a senior researcher at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, is recognized as an energy expert.

Notably, Professors Jeong and Park, who are expert members, belong to the "Professors' Council for Rationalizing Energy Policy (Egyopyeop)." Egyopyeop, established in 2018, is a professors' organization that has led criticism against the nuclear phase-out policy. To date, about 250 members from academia, including professors specializing in nuclear power and energy, are active members. Professor Joo Hankyu of Seoul National University’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, who designed nuclear and energy policies for President-elect Yoon’s campaign, is also a member of Egyopyeop. Since most of the leading researchers in the domestic nuclear academic community are members, it is analyzed that Egyopyeop’s opinions are likely to be reflected in the new government’s energy policies.

Director Joo, dispatched from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is a veteran who passed the 37th Administrative Examination and has served as head of the New Energy Industry Policy Division and the Energy Resources Office. He also has experience working at the Blue House during the Lee Myung-bak administration, which was proactive in nuclear power exports. He is expected to support President-elect Yoon’s pledge to export 10 nuclear reactors by 2030.

Senior Researcher Jihee Kim, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
Photo by People Power Party YouTube capture

Among the working-level members, Kim Jihee is the only private-sector energy expert and is a young researcher in her mid-30s. After attending KAIST, she has been researching next-generation nuclear reactors, specifically Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute since 2016. She attracted attention by actively opposing the nuclear phase-out policy during President-elect Yoon’s visit to KAIST shortly after his presidential candidacy announcement.

The immediate challenge for the energy experts in the Transition Committee is responding to the climate crisis. The committee must promptly establish a new implementation plan for the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for greenhouse gas reduction. During his candidacy, President-elect Yoon stated that while maintaining the NDC targets set by the current government, he would completely revise the implementation plan that had excluded nuclear power.

Kim Sanghyup, Director of the Jeju Research Institute and former Green Growth Planning Officer under the Lee Myung-bak administration, said, "The current NDC is weakly based, set by ideology and political logic rather than science," adding, "The Carbon Neutrality Committee, which will be elevated to a statutory organization starting the 25th, also needs to be reorganized."