In the wake of those quakes in Gyeongju, concerns
over safety especially that of the nation's
nuclear power plants have been dominating
talks in the Korean political arena.
Government officials in charge of the nuclear
power plants found themselves in the hotseat
today.
Ji Myung-kil is our parliamentary correspondent...
he has the latest from the National Assembly.
Lawmakers on Thursday urged nuclear power
plant officials to undertake stronger earthquake
safety measures,... such as raising the height
of seawalls,... reinforcing the waterproofing
at power plant structures... and conducting
more regular stress tests on the facilities.
"The government must complete thorough stress
tests on nuclear plants located near the quake-hit
region to relieve the public's anxiety."
Lawmakers also questioned the Korea Hydro
and Nuclear Power Corporation's plan to build
new nuclear reactors in the quake-hit area...
and urged it to suspend all reactors in the
region... until the current safety concerns
are addressed.
"It is very unfortunate that the commission
is only now, after the recent earthquakes,
looking into whether to reconsider the construction
of units 5 and 6 of the Shin-Kori nuclear
plants."
However, officials from the state-run electric
power company said neither the Wolsong nor
Kori plants would be damaged by aftershocks
or earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 6-point-5,...
because,... unlike regular buildings,... the
facilities are built 20 meters into the ground.
Amid such concerns, the Nuclear Safety and
Security Commission said it will continue
to put safety first.
"We're doing the best we can to provide information
about earthquakes to the public and to maintain
the safety of all the nuclear power plants
around the country."
"Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition
parties said nuclear power plant safety should
be a priority for the country... and that
guidelines should be set based on the worst-case
scenario.
Ji Myung-kil, Arirang News."
