[Exclusive] Even Nuclear Experts Disappear Amid Nuclear Phase-Out... 671 Employees Left Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Submits 'Retiree Status' to Rep. Hong Seok-jun's Office
Nuclear Power Sector Resignations Increase from 50 in 2017 to 165 Next Year
671 Nuclear Power Specialists Left During Moon Administration's 5 Years
Case of Workforce Drain in UAE Exporting Korean-Style Nuclear Reactors Also Reported

A view of Shin-Kori Units 3 and 4 at Saeul Nuclear Power Headquarters located in Ulju-gun, Ulsan.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] The nuclear phase-out policy pursued by the Moon Jae-in administration has returned as a bill in the form of a deepening shortage of skilled personnel. Nearly 700 nuclear power experts have disappeared from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) alone in the past five years. The situation is no different at Doosan Enerbility (formerly Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction), a leading domestic nuclear power company. Although the Presidential Transition Committee has officially declared the abolition of the nuclear phase-out policy, experts point out that if the supply of personnel, which forms the foundation of the nuclear power ecosystem, is not provided in a timely manner, "restoration" will remain a distant story.

According to data submitted by KHNP to Rep. Hong Seok-jun of the People Power Party on the 19th, 671 nuclear power dedicated personnel (including retirees) have left KHNP from 2017 to last month. The number of nuclear power sector resignations at KHNP jumped more than threefold from 50 in 2017 to 165 in 2018. The number of nuclear power dedicated personnel leaving KHNP surged in tandem with the full-scale implementation of the nuclear phase-out policy in 2018. Since then, the number of nuclear power sector resignations at KHNP has steadily remained in the 100s, with 172 in 2019, 139 in 2020, and 123 last year. This year, 22 people have already resigned as of last month.

There have also been cases of overseas personnel outflow. Two nuclear power experts who retired from KHNP in 2017 headed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Korean-type nuclear power plants were exported during the Lee Myung-bak administration. They were re-employed at the UAE Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Nawah Energy, the UAE nuclear power operator, respectively. An industry insider said, "Personnel from KHNP have comprehensive experience in nuclear power plant construction and operation, making them highly preferred by overseas nuclear power companies," adding, "Many chose to go abroad because they felt there was no future domestically."

The situation is no different at Doosan Enerbility, a leading domestic nuclear power company. The number of nuclear power-related employees at the company decreased by about 650, from 1,827 in 2017 to 1,179 this year. This means that one-third of the nuclear power dedicated personnel have disappeared over the past five years.

The reason nuclear power experts have left the industry is simple: they judged that there was no hope for the domestic nuclear power industry due to the nuclear phase-out policy. This situation can be seen even in universities that train nuclear power experts. From 2017 to last year, 595 students dropped out from nuclear power-related departments at 13 universities, including Seoul National University, Kyung Hee University, and Pusan National University.

There are concerns that the next government may not be able to accelerate the "complete reversal of the nuclear phase-out." This is because not only nuclear power experts such as technical personnel, who are the core of the nuclear power ecosystem, but also students are leaving the industry, inevitably causing a "mismatch" between supply and demand of personnel.

A nuclear power plant involves about 2 million parts in just one unit, intertwining various technologies. This means that a wide range of experts are needed. Considering the high entry barriers of nuclear power technology, the industry diagnosis is that it will take a considerable amount of time to restore the ecosystem that has collapsed over the past five years.

Professor Lee Hyun-chul of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Pusan National University said, "Due to the aftermath of the nuclear phase-out, the number of students majoring in nuclear power in graduate schools has drastically decreased, and professors have not been able to conduct proper research," adding, "Even if the next government tries to revitalize nuclear power, the supply of personnel will not be smooth in the short term."