Presidential Office Actively Refutes "'24 Trillion Won Nuclear Power Plant Contract, Korea's Share 6.6 Trillion' Is Fake News"

"Which Country's Political Party and Media Are You?" Rebuttal

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee are waving their hands in greeting from Air Force One, their official aircraft, as they return home on the 22nd after completing an official visit to the Czech Republic at Seongnam Seoul Airport.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 23rd, the Presidential Office responded to reports and opposition party comments claiming there is "no jackpot in nuclear power plant exports," stating, "If you are a citizen of the Republic of Korea, it is only natural to hope that the remarkable achievement of securing a 24 trillion won nuclear power plant contract will successfully proceed to the main contract."

On the same day, a Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office and criticized, "It is questionable whether it is appropriate behavior for a legitimate opposition party to criticize and condemn as if they are praying for the trip results to be unfavorable, and I sincerely hope that the media, which blindly follows this, reflects on what they are thinking when reporting."

The official rhetorically asked, "Which country's political party and which country's media are these?" and pointed out, "I want to ask if they are genuinely counting down and hoping for failure."

Regarding some reports stating that Korea's share of the 24 trillion won nuclear power plant export is 6.6 trillion won, the official rebutted, "Since the 60% localization rate of nuclear power plant exports and the 12% participation share of Westinghouse have not yet been finalized, the claim that Korea's share is 6.6 trillion won is fake news," adding, "The 60% localization rate is a target to be finalized at the main contract in March next year, and the local entry of domestic companies is included in the localization rate."

Concerning the intellectual property dispute with the U.S. Westinghouse, the official explained, "To resolve export control issues related to nuclear power plant exports, consultations are underway between the Republic of Korea and the United States," and added, "The fact that both governments are jointly seeking solutions to export control issues related to nuclear power plants is possible because the Korea-U.S. alliance has been greatly strengthened based on mutual trust between the two countries."