NSSC Acknowledges 'Independence Controversy'... "Should Be Transferred Under the President" [Collapsed Nuclear Ecosystem⑥]

NSSC Accepts Criticism of Independence at National Assembly Seminar
"Disappointing Evaluation on Independence... Insufficient Public Trust"
Appears Aware of Next Government... Advocates Transfer to Presidential Jurisdiction

At the 153rd Nuclear Safety Committee meeting held last month, Yukookhee, the chairperson of the Nuclear Safety Committee, is speaking. [Photo by Nuclear Safety Committee]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) has effectively acknowledged criticisms that it was not free from the Moon Jae-in administration's anti-nuclear power policy over the past five years. The NSSC also expressed the position that it should be converted into an agency under the President to secure its independence.

On the 24th, Cho Jeong-ah, Director of the NSSC Safety Policy Bureau, said at the "Seminar on the Promotion of Nuclear Power Policies under the Yoon Seok-yeol Government" held at the National Assembly, "The NSSC has not yet secured a status comparable to advanced countries and is evaluated as lacking public trust."

The seminar, hosted by Kim Young-sik, a member of the People Power Party, was organized to discuss the next government's nuclear power policy. Many domestic nuclear power experts attended, including Director Cho, Professor Jeong Beom-jin of Kyung Hee University's Department of Nuclear Engineering, Gu Jeong-hoe, Director of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Environment Research Institute at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and Jeong Dong-wook, President of the Korean Nuclear Society.

At the seminar, the independence of the NSSC was brought into question. Criticism that the NSSC was mired in anti-nuclear power policies has been consistently raised over the past five years. The Nuclear Safety Foundation under the NSSC caused controversy last month by appointing Kim Je-nam, a figure associated with anti-nuclear power, as the new chairman. The appointment of the chairman of the Nuclear Safety Foundation is ultimately approved by the NSSC.

Kim Je-nam, new chairman of the Nuclear Safety Foundation.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

This is why President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol pledged to secure the independence and expertise of the NSSC. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also recommends that regulatory bodies be independent from anti-nuclear groups. Professor Jeong also cited the reorganization of the NSSC as a pressing task for President-elect Yoon. He diagnosed, "The NSSC has failed to be independent from anti-nuclear activists and has not secured the expertise of its commissioners."

In response, Director Cho stated, "(The NSSC) is receiving disappointing evaluations in terms of independence and expertise." He added, "Currently, the NSSC is under the Prime Minister, which raises concerns about its independence," and said, "There is a need for discussions to change the NSSC to be under the President as an institutional measure to secure independence." This is the first time the NSSC has officially accepted criticism regarding its independence, interpreted as a statement conscious of the next government, which is expected to undertake a major reorganization of the NSSC.

The NSSC also emphasized the necessity of a full-time commissioner system. Among the nine commissioners, except for the chairman and the secretary-general, seven are non-standing commissioners, which limits continuous and professional deliberation. Regulatory bodies in advanced countries such as the United States and France operate under a full-time commissioner system.