Briefing on the Visit in Prague, Czech Republic
Opposition Refutes Calls to Reconsider Nuclear Power Plant Orders
"Nuclear Renaissance, a Major Trend in the Energy Market"
Park Chun-seop, Chief Economic Secretary to the President, is briefing on the achievements of President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to the Czech Republic and nuclear power plant sales at the Korea Press Center in Prague on the 19th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Presidential Office rebutted the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, who raised dumping allegations related to the Czech Dukovany nuclear power plant project, calling it "nonsense fake news."
Park Chun-seop, the Chief Economic Secretary to the President, held a briefing in Prague, Czech Republic, on the afternoon of the 19th (local time), stating, "It is a sophistry that disparages the President's efforts to create jobs and revitalize the economy by rebuilding the nuclear power ecosystem through overseas visits."
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Deok-geun also addressed the dumping allegations at a briefing that day, saying, "The Czech government has stated that the reason for selecting Korea is not dumping but trust in proven capabilities to comply with construction periods and budgets," adding, "Spreading fake news about dumping without any basis does not help future contract negotiations and harms national interests."
Minister Ahn Deok-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is briefing on the achievements of President Yoon Seok-yeol's visit to the Czech Republic and nuclear power plant sales at the Korea Press Center in Prague on the 19th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News
Minister Ahn said, "It is not true that President Yoon's visit to the Czech Republic was hastily arranged," explaining, "It was an official visit made for the first time in nine years, following an invitation from the Czech Prime Minister during a phone call between the two heads of state on July 23."
Regarding the criticism that "building a nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic might even result in taking on deficits," he explained, "It is completely untrue that the Czech government borrowed 9 trillion won from the European Union (EU) for the new nuclear power project," adding, "The Czech government plans to finance the nuclear power plant construction on its own, and there has been no request for financial cooperation from the Czech side so far."
On the opposition parties' claim that investment should be made in renewable energy worth 1,000 trillion won instead of nuclear power exports, he said, "Many countries are paying attention to nuclear power as an energy source that can meet demands in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), climate crisis, and energy security," adding, "The global nuclear renaissance is a major trend in the energy market, and we will actively invest in renewable energy alongside the nuclear power market."
Earlier, opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea and the People's Innovation Party held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall, arguing that "if things continue as they are, losses worth trillions of won may occur, and taxpayers' money might have to be poured in," calling for a full review of the final contract push for the Czech nuclear power plant project.
They criticized President Yoon's visit to the Czech Republic, saying, "The nuclear power export, once called a 24 trillion won jackpot, became difficult due to issues raised by the United States, leading to a hastily arranged schedule." They also pointed out, "Czech media have criticized the Yoon administration for proposing dumping prices," and added, "It is time to soberly reconsider whether this is being pushed recklessly to achieve President Yoon's declared goal of exporting 10 nuclear power plants."
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