Minister Kim Sung-hwan Criticizes Moon Administration: "Refusing to Build Nuclear Plants While Exporting Them Was Contradictory"

2nd Policy Forum on Desirable Energy Mix
"Generating All Electricity from Renewables Is Unrealistic
Need to Find the Optimal Model by Complementing Renewables and Nuclear Power"

Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, is delivering a greeting at the 2nd Policy Forum on Desirable Energy Mix held at the National Assembly on January 7, 2026. Photo by Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment

Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, emphasized at the 2nd Policy Forum on Desirable Energy Mix held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of January 7, that "while it would be ideal to generate all electricity from renewable energy, considering the current realities, it is difficult for South Korea to become an energy self-sufficient island." He added, "We need to find the optimal model by complementing the intermittency of renewables and the inflexibility of nuclear power."

The forum was organized to discuss whether to proceed as planned with the construction of two new large-scale nuclear power plants, as decided in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand. This was the second forum, following the one held on December 30 last year. The government also plans to conduct a public opinion survey following this forum.

The main focus of the forum was on how to harmoniously address the intermittency of renewable energy and the inflexibility of nuclear power. Minister Kim stressed, "Resolving the inflexibility issue that arises when nuclear power and renewables clash during the daytime is an immediate challenge."

Minister Kim also highlighted the necessity of nuclear power within South Korea. He stated, "During the Moon Jae-in administration, while we declared that we would no longer use nuclear plants that had reached the end of their design life, we were exporting nuclear power plants overseas. It seemed somewhat contradictory to refuse to build nuclear plants domestically while exporting them abroad."

He added, "It is also true that we possess world-class competitiveness in the nuclear power sector."

Minister Kim emphasized, "Since we have many important industries such as semiconductors, ensuring a stable power supply is also a crucial task." He continued, "We must find the optimal energy model by comprehensively considering industrial competitiveness and household electricity rates."

At the forum, Kang Bu-il, Head of System Operation at Korea Power Exchange, gave a presentation on "The Current Status and Issues of Korea's Power Grid." Shin Ho-chul, Director of the Central Research Institute at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, discussed "Measures to Mitigate the Inflexibility of Nuclear Power and Ensure Safety." Son Sung-yong, Professor at Gachon University, presented on "Measures to Complement the Intermittency of Renewable Energy."

This was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Park Jongbae, Professor at Konkuk University, with participants including Jeon Younghwan, Professor at Hongik University; Kim Kangwon, Director of Renewable Energy Policy at Korea Energy Agency; Lee Jeongik, Professor at KAIST; Kim Muhwan, Head of Energy Solutions at SK Innovation; Han Byungseop, Director of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety; Joo Hankyu, President of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute; and Lee Seohae, CEO of E-Consumer.

Minister Kim explained, "If additional issues are identified, we plan to gather public opinion through various channels, including roundtable discussions."