South Korea’s president orders restoration of nuclear power industry

South Korean President Yoon Suk yeol has ordered this Tuesday, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Lee Chang yang, to restore the nuclear power industry and relevant works, said presidential spokeswoman Kang In sun.

Lee has informed about plans to provide works worth 98.74 million euros (130 billion won), this year, to companies in the nuclear power industry, including the construction of nuclear reactors scheduled to begin in 2024, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

During the presidential campaign, Yoon vowed to abolish the previous administration’s nuclear power phase-out policies.

However, since taking office in May, the new South Korean government has pledged to expand the country’s nuclear power generation to more than 30 percent of total power generation by 2030 to strengthen energy security and better achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

In this regard, the South Korean leader has asked the minister to actively support the development of a parts and equipment base for the semiconductor industry and take the lead in producing results on nuclear plant, weapons and infrastructure exports, in line with meetings held last month on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid.

Yoon has also urged the minister to ensure smooth electricity supply during the summer season.