"Korea should clarify where nuclear power plants are responsible"...IAEA recommendations

[Anchor]
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has come to check whether the Korean nuclear power plant is operating well.

In the first inspection in 13 years, it was pointed out to specify exactly who was responsible for the safety of nuclear power plants.

I'm reporter Jang A-young.

[Reporter]
The International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA inspection team consisting of 21 nuclear power plant experts from 14 countries announced the interim results of a two-week survey of Korean nuclear power plants.

He praised the establishment of the Nuclear Safety Commission, an independent regulatory body, and the education of countries seeking to introduce nuclear power generation.

I also pointed out the deficiencies.

In particular, he pointed out who should take ultimate responsibility for the safety of nuclear power plants and that the law does not specify.

According to the IAEA standards, the responsibility of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a nuclear power plant operator, should be clearly stated in the law, but it was not.

[Laura Deuce / Head of Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) Inspection: The inspection team has not identified an accurate and clear statement in the Nuclear Safety Act that indicates where ultimate responsibility lies for nuclear safety. That's why we made that recommendation.

There was also a recommendation to bind scattered safety standards into one law.

The inspection is that Korea pays about 300 million won for services to the IAEA, and it is not necessary to implement the recommendations and suggestions that come from this.

During the first inspection in 2011, 21 of the 22 recommendations and proposals were implemented, and the only item that failed to implement was to "stop nuclear power plants unconditionally if the nuclear power plant operator violates the standards."

This is because, unlike the United States, which has several power companies, KHNP exclusively operates nuclear power plants in Korea.

[Son Myung-sun / Planning Coordinator, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission: (IRRS Mission) is a series of processes that analyze differences in laws and systems within each country's regulatory system and find out how to improve the differences.]

The final result of this inspection will come out in three months.

The government said that the IAEA inspection also affects the international reputation and expected it to have a positive effect on nuclear power plant exports in the future.

I'm YTN's Jang Ayoung.



a photographer; Kim Hyun-mi

Design;Jeon Wheein