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Greenpeace suing South Korea on its silencing of nuclear power critics

Greenpeace files court case to challenge South Korea’s silencing of nuclear criticshttp://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/Greenpeace-files-court-case-to-challenge-South-Koreas-silencing-of-nuclear-critics/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=blog&utm_term=121012_1112&utm_campaign=Climate Greenpeace International and Greenpeace East Asia have launched a legal challenge against the South Korean government seeking a declaration that the government’s prohibiting of key international staff from entering the country was unlawful and anattempt to silence criticism of nuclear policies.
Through the lawsuit, lodged on Monday on international Human Rights Day, Greenpeace is seeking compensation of almost 70 million Korean won for disruption of six staff members’ ability to conduct their campaign about the risks of nuclear energy and for other damages. Continue reading →

December 13, 2012 Posted by | Legal, South Korea | Leave a comment

Nearly 1000 more fake nuclear quality certificates found in South Korea

South Korea finds more nuclear parts with fake documents CNBC, 27 Nov 2012 | SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean nuclear regulators have discovered nearly a thousand more parts supplied for nuclear power plants with fake quality certificates, Continue reading →

November 28, 2012 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, South Korea | Leave a comment

South Korea’s ambitions for a nuclear reactor export industry

Lee: Nuclear power plants ‘core staple’ for S. Korea SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) — President Lee Myung-bak said Monday atomic power plants are a key export industry that will help lift South Korea’s growth in the years to come, just as auto, shipbuilding and
electronics industries have powered the country’s economy so far.

Lee also said his latest trip to the United Arab Emirates was aimed at laying the groundwork for South Korea to win another massive nuclear power plant construction order from the oil-rich MiddleEastern nation after the first deal in 2009 to build and operate four reactors……

November 26, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, South Korea | Leave a comment

South Korea’s nuclear regulation, not transparent, not independent

S.Korea says IEA wants its nuclear sector to be more transparent SEOUL   Nov 22, 2012 (Reuters) – The International Energy Agency (IEA) wants South Korea to bring more transparency to its nuclear power sector and strengthen the independence of regulators to increase trust in the safety of its plants, the economy ministry said on Friday.

The agency, which advises industrialized nations and represents 28 oil importing countries, was due later on Friday to unveil a report on South Korea’s energy policies for the first time since 2006…..

The South Korean government has been criticised for a lack of transparency over safety in its nuclear programme and for the dual supervisory and promotion roles of its regulators…..
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/22/iea-korea-idUKL4N0921O420121122

November 23, 2012 Posted by | politics, South Korea | Leave a comment

South Korea plans to keep making the stuff- but no idea where to put nuclear wastes!

South Koreans to ponder where to store nuclear waste http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/us-nuclear-korea-idUSBRE8AJ0CP20121120 By Meeyoung Cho SEOUL Nov 20, 2012  (Reuters) – South Korea is to hold public consultations on where to store waste nuclear fuel as storage capacity at its reactors is reaching full capacity, the government said on Tuesday.

The plan to set up an independent consultative body comes as South Korea grapples with its worst nuclear crisis ever after forged certificates were used by parts suppliers to the nuclear industry, causing stoppages at two reactors as the bitter Korean winter draws near.

The government has been criticized for a lack of transparency over safety for its nuclear programme and for the dual supervisory and promotion roles of its regulators.  Continue reading →

November 21, 2012 Posted by | South Korea, wastes | Leave a comment

Anti nuclear protest, by thousands, in South Korea

Thousands protest at S. Korean nuclear complex Bangkok Post: 16/11/2012  AMOnline news: Asia Thousands of villagers staged a protest outside one of South Korea’s largest nuclear power plants Thursday, voicing growing public concern over safety standards after a series of scares and scandals. Continue reading →

November 16, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, South Korea | Leave a comment

South Korea’s nuclear export industry at risk, as nuclear scandal widens

South Korea has its own nuclear challenge, Kearney Hub, 12 Nov 12 “….The Republic of Korea’s government has shut down several nuclear reactors after the discovery that safety certificates had been forged for some parts …. ,

public anxiety and criticism has spread rapidly — understandable after the Fukushima nuclear accident when the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake struck Japan. Moreover, South Korea has given high priority to developing a global nuclear export industry.
Several years ago, Korean firms won a $20 billion contract to build four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates. South Korea plans to build 80 nuclear power reactors worldwide, worth an estimated $400 billion, by 2030. This would place the country on a
par with Russia and just behind France — the world leader in nuclear power export. U.S. government officials describe nuclear power as a foreign-trade high priority, along with automobiles, semiconductors and shipbuilding.

The unfolding Korean nuclear scandal doubtless will have regional and global impact. Today, any major production disruption in principal industries has immediate ripple effects. ….
South Korea’s problem occurs at a bad time. Last May, a Beijing summit brought together government officials from China, Japan and Korea to negotiate a new free-trade agreement and sign an initial accord on Promotion, Facilitation and Protection of Investment. …

November 15, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, South Korea | Leave a comment

Cracks in nuclear facility add to South Korea’s nuclear scandal problem

Cracks at South Korean nuclear plant raise fresh safety concerns By K.J. Kwon, CNN November 9, 2012 Seoul, South Korea (CNN) –– Tiny cracks have been found in tunnels at a nuclear plant in South Korea, increasing concerns about nuclear safety in the country following a recentscandal involving the use of unverified parts.
The reactor where the cracks were found will remain offline for weeks as regulators investigate the problem, putting extra strain on South Korea’s already stretched power supply going into the winter months…… the news could hurt South Korea’s efforts to export its
nuclear power technology to other countries.
The problems at the South Korean reactors come amid increased scrutiny of nuclear power worldwide following the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan during the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country in March 2011.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/09/world/asia/south-korea-nuclear-reactor/index.html

November 10, 2012 Posted by | safety, South Korea | Leave a comment

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”. Continue reading →

November 9, 2012 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, South Korea | Leave a comment

South Korea’s tarnished nuclear reputation with 60 forged safety certificates

KHNP, fully owned by state-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO), reported eight firms that supplied parts had forged 60 certificates to cover 7,682 items between 2003 and 2012, the ministry and the company officials said.

South Korea widens nuclear investigation, risks power cuts By Meeyoung Cho SEOUL   Nov 6, 2012 (Reuters) – South Korea’s main nuclear power supervisor extended an investigation into forged safety certificates for reactor components to three more facilities on Tuesday, a day after shutting down two reactors……
in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, there were concerns the discovery could tarnish the image of the country’s nuclear program. Continue reading →

November 7, 2012 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, South Korea | Leave a comment

The UNsafety of South Korea’s nuclear power plants

Nuclear safety concerns growing Korea Times. Experts stress system overhaul necessary to avoid disaster By Park Si-soo, 8 Oct 12,  With nuclear reactors shutting down repeatedly month after month, there is growing concern over whether the nation’s atomic power plant management system has a structural problem that could lead to disaster. Continue reading →

October 9, 2012 Posted by | safety, South Korea | Leave a comment

South Korea – civil liberties disappearing, in the interests of nuclear industry

South Korea can’t deny the risks of nuclear power forever http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/nuclear-south-korea-risks/blog/42486/
 by Jan Beranek – October 8, 2012 I am at a detention centre at South Korea’s airport, quickly writing these few words as best I can on a mobile phone. Together with my colleague, Dr. Rianne Teule, I have been denied entry to South Korea.

We have done nothing wrong. That is, unless you agree with the government in Seoul that exposing the risks of nuclear power and calling for better protection of people from radiation is wrong. Continue reading →

October 9, 2012 Posted by | civil liberties, South Korea | Leave a comment

S. Korea urges U.S. to allow ‘peaceful’ nuclear enrichment SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) –– South Korea called for the United States to approve it undertaking “peaceful” enrichment of uranium and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, a government think tank said Monday, as little progress has been made in bilateral negotiations to revise the countries’ nuclear accord.

Under a 1974 accord with the U.S., South Korea is banned from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The allies have held five rounds of formal negotiations since 2010 to rewrite the bilateral nuclear cooperation treaty, which expires in 2014…..
Some nonproliferation experts say pyroprocessing is not significantly different from reprocessing, and pyroprocessed plutonium could be quickly turned into weapons-grade material….. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2012/09/17/38/0301000000AEN20120917002600315F.HTML

September 17, 2012 Posted by | reprocessing, South Korea, Uranium | Leave a comment

New fast Lithium Ion Battery for electric cars

New Korean Lithium Ion Battery for EVs Charges in Under 1 Minute http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2012/08/21/korean-lithium-ion-carbonized-battery/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGreenOptimistic+%28The+Green+Optimistic%29#.UDbvH8FlT4Y By Ovidiu Sandru   August 21, 2012    A new lithium ion battery developed in Korea could make those long waiting times for an electric car to charge become history. A team of researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) claim they can build a battery that can charge in less than a minute, 30 to 120 times faster than a classic Li-Ion battery. Continue reading →

August 24, 2012 Posted by | energy storage, Reference, South Korea | Leave a comment

Seoul restarts aged nuclear reactor despite safety concerns

 Korea Times, 7 Aug 12 The government decided Monday to restart an aged nuclear reactor that recently underwent months-long scrutiny over its safety, amid looming signs of a power shortage due to a record heat wave.

Operation of the Reactor-1 at Gori Nuclear Power Plant in Busan was
resumed earlier in the day with the reactor expected to reach its full
generation capacity on Friday, according to the Ministry of Knowledge
Economy….. The 578-megawatt reactor, located some 450 kilometers
southeast of Seoul, was manually shut down on March 12 after the Hydro
& Nuclear Power Co. belatedly reported a major safety breach during a
regular maintenance check the previous month, when the reactor, along
with its backup generator, temporarily lost power….. the reactor had
remained shut down amid widespread public concerns over safety of the
reactor whose initial 30-year lifespan ran out but was extended by 10
years in 2008….
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2012/08/123_116740.html

August 8, 2012 Posted by | safety, South Korea | Leave a comment

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