nuclear-news

South Korea’s nuclear industry scandal widens

Eight companies submitted 60 false certificates to cover more than 7,000 parts used in the two reactors between 2003 and 2012, and Economy Minister Hong Suk-woo told parliament that most of the documents, which purported to come from certifying body UCI, were
forgeries

South Korea widens nuclear lapses probe; KEPCO chief resigns By Meeyoung Cho and Somang Yang SEOUL   Nov 7, 2012  (Reuters) – South Korea widened a probe into how thousands of parts for its nuclear reactors were supplied using forged safety documents, with regulators set to inspect all 23 of the country’s facilities – a move that could test public support for the industry and threaten billions of dollars worth of exports.

Two reactors remained shut on Wednesday, and five others are closed for maintenance, or through other glitches, raising the prospect of winter power shortages…..
Kim Joong-kyum, president and CEO of power utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO), which owns the operator of the nation’s nuclear plants, tendered his resignation for what KEPCO officials said were “personal reasons”. The presidential office would decide this weekend
whether to accept Kim’s resignation, an economy ministry official
said.

A second nuclear official, appointed in June after a series of
closures at other nuclear plants, also said he would resign once the
investigations over the latest lapses were completed.

“I am sorting out what happened in the past. I will resign at any time
once this is settled,” Kim Kyun-seop, head of Korea Hydro & Nuclear
Power, the KEPCO subsidiary that runs the country’s nuclear industry
and reviews equipment certification, told a parliamentary hearing.

KEPCO stock fell 3 percent to its lowest close in a month.

The closure of the two reactors in Yeonggwang county, 300 km (186
miles) southwest of the capital Seoul, and concerns of more widespread
potential problems with a large and growing nuclear program, come
after last year’s nuclear disaster in neighboring Japan…..
PROBE WIDENED

South Korea’s Nuclear Safety & Security Commission said it set up a
team of 58 private and public investigators to inspect all the
country’s reactors to see if they were supplied with parts with forged
certificates.

“The team will inspect all 23 reactors, which will take some time, as
you can imagine,” a spokeswoman for the commission, which supervises
nuclear safety, told Reuters. The commission said it plans measures to
improve supply systems, quality controls and external auditing.

Eight companies submitted 60 false certificates to cover more than 7,000 parts used in the two reactors between 2003 and 2012, and Economy Minister Hong Suk-woo told parliament that most of the documents, which purported to come from certifying body UCI, were
forgeries…. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/07/us-nuclear-korea-idUSBRE8A50KW20121107

November 9, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, South Korea