Home > Business > Industry

Decision on restarting 40-year old nuclear reactor delayed

Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 20:20

The Kori-2 and Kori-1 nuclear reactors are seen from a port in Gijang-gun, Busan on Sept. 25. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

A decision on whether to restart the Kori-2 nuclear reactor, widely seen as a bellwether for the Lee Jae Myung administration’s nuclear policy, has been delayed.

With multiple reactors already offline as a result of the previous Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phaseout policy, the postponement has heightened concerns over Korea's future power supply.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) held a plenary meeting on Thursday to deliberate on extending the operation of Kori-2, but failed to reach a conclusion. Some commissioners reportedly expressed opposition, starting from the review of its accident management plan.

The commission will reconvene on Oct. 23 to continue deliberations. Kori-2 has been offline since April 8, 2023, when it reached the end of its 40-year design life.

The decision on Kori-2 is viewed as a key test of the Lee administration’s stance on nuclear energy. Ten reactors are slated for continued operation reviews under the current government, with Kori-2 being the first.

“The first review will inevitably be more rigorous, given its implications for subsequent cases,” said an industry source who requested anonymity. “Since Lee has already indicated a positive view of operating existing reactors, future deliberations may proceed more smoothly once Kori-2 is resolved.”

This marks the first review of a life-extension request since Wolseong-1 in February 2015, a gap of 10 years.

The delay has fueled concerns about Korea's power supply. During the Moon administration, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was fined but still refrained from applying for continued operation of reactors, resulting in shutdowns.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]