Nuclear Safety and Security Commission

2026-14th Meeting of Commission


The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC, Chairperson Choi Won-ho) held the 2026-14 meeting of the Commission on September 11 (Fri) to deliberate and resolve 2 agenda items, while reintroducing 1 agenda item.


Deliberation·Resolution Item 1

The NSSC deliberated and resolved the permission (draft) for the use of nuclear fuel material, which was requested* by Orbitech Co., Ltd.

* Transfer nuclear fuel material between offices, from nuclear project headquarters (Seoul office) to analysis center (Ulsan office)

Orbitech Co., Ltd. submitted eight documents, including safety management regulations, a description of technical capabilities required for the use of nuclear fuel materials, and a description of radiation shielding, for this permission.

The NSSC confirmed that this request for permission meets the permit standards after comprehensively reviewing the technical capabilities secured for the use of nuclear fuel materials; the compliance of the facility location, structure, and equipment with technical standards; and the environmental impact assessment related to discharge.


Deliberation·Resolution Item 2

The NSSC deliberated and resolved the amendment (draft) of the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the 「Act on Protective Action Guidelines Against Radiation in the Natural Environment」 (Radiation in the Natural Environment Act), concerning the health examinations of workers handling raw materials and process by-products, as well as cockpit and cabin crew members who are at risk of exposure to space radiation.

The main content is to revise the health check blood test items to align with the recently amended 「Enforcement Rules of the Nuclear Safety Act*」 and to expand the scope of recognized health checks so that, when health examinations are conducted under other laws, additional tests are not required. This scope** is extended to include the 「Medical Service Act」 and the 「Veterinarians Act」.

* The different blood test items for radiation workers (NSSC) and medical radiation-related workers (Ministry of Health and Welfare; Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) have been unified to include hemoglobin levels, white blood cell count, red blood cell count, and platelet count (revised on July 6, 2026).

** (Current) health checkups according to the 「Nuclear Safety Act」 and the 「Occupational Safety and Health Act」

In addition, by expanding the reporting target from crew members with abnormal findings in their health examination results to all crew members, it aims to ease the judgment burden on the medical examination institution and the airline and prevent omissions in reporting.

The revised version will be finalized through administrative procedures such as consulting with relevant agencies and announcing the legislation in advance.


[Deliberation·Resolution Item 3]

The NSSC decided to reintroduce for review the approval of the accident management program* (draft) and the amendment to the operating licensing** (draft) for Kori Units 3 and 4 and Hanbit Units 1 and 2, requested by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP).

* A document that sets out the strategies, implementation systems, facilities, and all measures to prevent the escalation of nuclear accidents, mitigate their impact, and restore to a safe state, including in the case of severe accidents.

** Installation of multi-barrier accident coping strategy facilities for on-site application of the accident management program (including the installation of external injection lines for the reactor cooling system and containment spray system, etc.)

KHNP submitted accident management programs for 28 nuclear power plants, including Hanbit Units 1 and 2 and Kori Units 3 and 4, in June 2019, in accordance with the amendment to the Nuclear Safety Act in June 2015. The accident management programs for Kori Units 3 and 4 and Hanbit Units 1 and 2, deliberated this time, were added to the agenda after safety assessments by the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) and six preliminary reviews by the Nuclear Safety Advisory Council, which lasted for about nine months.

Thoroughly Prepare for Simultaneous Emergencies at Two Sites (Wolsong, Hanul)
NSSC’s 「2026 National Radiological Emergency Preparedness Joint Exercise」


- Around 2,000 people, including 19 central government agencies, local governments near nuclear power plants, and local residents, participated.

Local governments, together with the police, intensively inspected evacuation plans that incorporate traffic information.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC, Chairperson Choi Won-ho) conducted the 「2026 National Radiological Emergency Preparedness Joint Exercise (joint exercise)」 on September 10th. The exercise simulated a radiation exposure accident at the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju City, North Gyeongsang Province, and a radiation emergency at the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province. Approximately 2,000 participants, including officials from central government agencies, local governments, specialized institutions, licensees, regional related organizations, and local residents, took part in the exercise.

* (Central government agencies) Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, in total, 19 agencies; (Local governments) North Gyeongsang Province, Ulsan Metropolitan City, Gyeongju City, Pohang City, Uljin County, etc.; (Specialized institutions) Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences; (Licensees) Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., Korea Radioactive Waste Agency; (Related organizations) local military, police, maritime police, fire departments, etc.

This joint exercise first reflected a complex disaster scenario where a radiation disaster occurs due to an earthquake at the Shinwolsong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2, along with simultaneous radiation emergencies at multiple nuclear plant sites including Wolsong and Hanul. The focus was on testing whether the national radiological emergency preparedness system operates cohesively, even when accidents occur at multiple sites at the same time.

Unlike before, this joint exercise restructured the on-site response system for simultaneous multiple disasters by dispatching and expanding personnel from the Off-site Radiological Emergency Management Center of central government agencies, as well as environmental radiation monitoring and emergency medical response teams, to test the implementation capabilities.

Additionally, assuming a situation in which the Wolsong Radiological Emergency Management Center is flooded by aftershocks, making it difficult to perform on-site command functions, an exercise was conducted to relocate the Off-site Radiological Emergency Management Center from Wolsong to the Ulju Radiological Emergency Management Center. This verified whether an on-site, uninterrupted radiological emergency management system for radiation preparedness could be maintained in any disaster situation.

The main training contents for each agency in this joint exercise are as follows.

(❶ Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Headquarters) Established the Central Radiation Disaster Prevention and Response Headquarters, involving 19 central government agencies, and conducted key decision-making drills such as declaring a radiation emergency and designating a special disaster zone, thereby fulfilling the role of overall response to radiation disasters.

(❷ Off-site Radiological Emergency Management Center) Conducted training to oversee decision-making and on-site accident response through the operation of a Joint Disaster Prevention and Response Council, involving central government agencies, local governments, and related organizations, focusing on resident protection (resident evacuation, indoor evacuation, distribution and medication instruction of thyroid protective drugs).

(❸ Local governments) The surrounding areas of the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant, including North Gyeongsang Province and Ulsan Metropolitan City, as well as seven basic local governments such as Gyeongju City, Pohang City, and Jung District in Ulsan Metropolitan City, established regional radiation disaster prevention and response headquarters and checked matters related to implementing resident protection measures. North Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongju City, Pohang City) set up relief centers at two locations, including Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium, and conducted resident evacuation drills involving approximately 400 local residents and others.

In particular, with the cooperation of the police, entry control points were expanded to 21 locations, including 18 in Gyeongju City and 3 in Pohang City, to verify the implementation of resident evacuation plans that reflect actual traffic information. This is significant because it is the first time that the ‘Traffic Control Guidelines during Radiation Emergency' established in 2025 were incorporated into local governments' resident evacuation plans, and actual operations were checked.

(❹ Specialized institutions) The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety conducted training to evaluate actual core damage and reactor building leakage rates based on accident scenarios for the first time. Moreover, it conducted real-time detection of terrestrial, maritime, and aerial radiation and integrated the results to provide essential information to the Off-site Radiological Emergency Management Center for important decision-making related to resident protection measures.

The Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, in collaboration with emergency radiation treatment facilities such as Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital, Daedong Hospital, and Uljin County Medical Center, set up a field treatment station at Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium. The training focused on treating radiation-injury patients, decontamination, and evacuation drills, as well as psychological counseling in cooperation with the National Trauma Center, centering around disaster trauma management.

(❺ Nuclear licensees) Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power focused on on-site training for responding to nuclear accidents, including issuing and broadcasting radiation emergency alerts, externally injecting emergency cooling water using mobile pump trucks, and providing emergency medical aid for injuries. The Korea Radioactive Waste Agency checked whether the response system at the low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility was interlinked and operated as planned in the event of a radiation emergency at a nearby NPP.

Chairperson Choi Won-ho said, “This joint exercise is meaningful because it first reflected a scenario where radiological emergencies occur simultaneously at multiple NPP sites, allowing us to assess our response capabilities.” He also emphasized, “Even if emergencies occur at multiple plants at the same time, relevant agencies will work together organically to protect the public's safety without interruption on the ground. We will continuously improve the radiological emergency preparedness system by reflecting the results of this exercise.”

NSSC Launched Investigation into Reactor Trip Incident During Commissioning of Saeul Unit 3


The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC, Chairperson Choi Won-ho) said it received a report from Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) that Saeul Unit 3 was manually shut down at 3:01 PM on September 6.

KHNP checked for a steam leak in the connection piping of the moisture separator reheater* inside the turbine building during the reactor power ascension for the commissioning test of Saeul Unit 3, and shut down the reactor for maintenance.

* An installation that reheats the steam from the high-pressure turbine, removing the humidity, and sends the steam to the low-pressure turbine

Saeul Unit 3 is maintaining a safe shutdown condition, and it was confirmed that no radiation-related abnormalities were identified.

Currently, the NSSC is checking on-site safety at the Saeul Regional Office and will dispatch an investigation team, comprised of experts from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), to conduct a detailed inspection of the cause of the steam leak and the installation safety.

NSSC Allowed Restart of Saeul Unit 3 for Commissioning


The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC, Chairperson Choi Won-ho) concluded its investigation into Saeul Unit 3, which tripped during the commissioning test on August 11th. On September 4th, it approved restarting the reactor for the remaining commissioning tests.

This trip occurred because an operator incorrectly set** the setpoint of the turbine control valve position limiter* while restoring reactor power (33.9% at the time) after a commissioning test that disconnects power at 80% of reactor output.

* The turbine control valve sets an upper limit on opening to restrict the rapid increase in the amount of steam entering the turbine.
** The operator originally set the setpoint to limit the unexpected output change of the turbine generator but incorrectly entered the setpoint in the direction that closes the valve, causing the reactor trip.

KHNP established recurrence-prevention measures to prevent human error like what happened in this incident by supplementing relevant test and operating procedures and conducting special training.

※ Supplement the procedure documents to require reconfirmation when operating the turbine control valve position limiter and reflect this in the operation system. Conduct training on this incident for all plant operators.

During the investigation of Seoul Unit 3, the NSSC confirmed that an emergency diesel generator was added to the safety bus, that one of four essential chillers (a safety-related system) was operated manually, and that the deployment of an emergency diesel generator was appropriate. Based on the results of this investigation, KHNP’s overall actions and recurrence-prevention measures for this reactor trip incident were confirmed to be adequate.

The NSSC will continue to monitor the remaining commissioning tests and the implementation of recurrence-prevention measures even after the restart of Saeul Unit 3.

Allocated 303 billion Won for 2027 Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Budget
Accelerate Studies on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Regulatory Technologies


Close communication with the public through the establishment of seven information-sharing centers near NPPs

Strengthened radiation monitoring function will make the public feel relieved from radiation concerns

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC, Chairperson Choi Won-ho) will allocate 303 billion won to the 2027 budget plan, an increase of 10.4 billion won from 2026, and submit it to the National Assembly to secure nuclear safety and protect the public and the environment from radiation disasters. The major items in the 2027 NSSC budget plan are as follows:

1 Accelerate the establishment of a regulatory system to prepare for the commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs)

A non-light-water-reactor-type small modular reactor (SMR) development project is underway, with licensing targeted for the early 2030s. To support this effort, the NSSC will invest 8 billion won in research and development (R&D) to establish a new assessment framework. In addition, a preliminary review system, allowing applicants to submit reactor designs to the regulatory body for review before the licensing application, is scheduled to take effect in November 2026. In line with this, 2.7 billion won has been allocated to launch a preliminary review for a non-LWR small modular reactor, with applications scheduled to begin in early 2027. This will reduce regulatory uncertainty in early development, and the regulatory basis for SMR commercialization is expected to be prepared promptly.

12.3 billion won will be invested to develop safety verification technologies in preparation for regulations covering the entire life cycle (design, construction, operation, and decommissioning) of the innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR), following the government's development of the standard design approval (February 2026).

Meanwhile, the NSSC plans to strengthen support for basic and foundational research on future emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear fusion, in addition to investments in small modular reactors (SMRs). It has also significantly increased the size** of research and development (R&D) investments to ensure safety regulations for large-scale NPPs, including flexible operation*, decommissioning of nuclear plants, and the safety of storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel.

* Adjusts output in real time according to fluctuations in power grid demand and the variability of renewable energy output (KHNP plans to apply for licensing in 2029 with a goal of 50% flexible operation by 2032).

** In 2027, a total research and development (R&D) budget of 70.5 billion won was allocated

2 Ensure flawless safety checks throughout the entire lifecycle, from new NPPs and NPPs in continued operation to decommissioning

The NSSC has allocated budgets for major inspections and assessments in 2027, including the safety review for the continued operation of nuclear power plants (9.1 billion won), the decommissioning review of Wolsong Unit 1 (1 billion won), the dismantling inspection of Kori Unit 1 (900 million won), and the safety review of the dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel within the NPP sites (100 million won).

In particular, the inspection system, which had been conducted only during maintenance when NPPs were shut down, was reorganized into an ongoing (continuous) inspection system* that can conduct inspections even during operating periods. Starting in January 2027, this system will be fully implemented, and as a result, the regular inspection budget increased by 2.5 billion won from the previous year, totaling 7.7 billion won. This initiative is expected to help prevent accidents at NPPs by adding new inspection items for in-depth inspection of abnormal signs and vulnerabilities, as well as by strengthening operators' operational capabilities.

* The existing regular inspections are limited to the planned overhaul period (2~3 months) when the NPP is shut down, but in the continuous inspection system, inspections are performed throughout the year regardless of whether the plant is operating or not.

3 Completed the construction of 7 Information Sharing Centers in the regions near NPPs

The NSSC has allocated 4.8 billion won for projects such as establishing and operating the 'Nuclear Safety Information Sharing Center' to enhance the disclosure and communication of nuclear safety information to the public, including local residents living near nuclear facilities.

The NSSC enacted and implemented the ｢Act on Nuclear Safety Information Disclosure and Communication｣ (June 2022) to strengthen online and offline communication and better guarantee the public's right to know about nuclear safety. Starting in 2024, the integrated nuclear safety information service website has been continuously upgraded, and by 2027, the 'Nuclear Safety Information Sharing Portal' (www.nsinfo.go.kr), equipped with AI-based search functionality, will be officially launched and operated. Additionally, in September 2026, offline Information Sharing Centers will open in 4 regions near NPPs (Kori, Wolsong, Yeonggwang, and Saeul). In 2027, with secured budgets for 3 more regions (Gochang, Hanul, and Daejeon), a total of 7 Information Sharing Centers across the country are scheduled to complete construction by next year.

The Information Sharing Centers will build trust more closely and continuously by supporting the Nuclear Safety Council, in which local residents participate, and by actively communicating with local residents through regional safety and interest information, resident briefings, and safety training.

4 Systematize national-level radiation monitoring functions and enhance analytical capabilities

The NSSC has allocated 1.4 billion won to establish and operate the National Radioactivity Monitoring Center in order to strengthen the environmental radioactivity monitoring · analysis system in response to the expansion of domestic reactor use and the increase in the operation and construction of nuclear facilities in neighboring countries.

The National Radioactivity Monitoring Center will be located at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. It will directly analyze radioactive isotopes in samples collected from domestic seas and around NPPs, ensuring precise identification and quantification to strengthen analysis quality. It will also enhance national analytical capabilities through regular proficiency testing and support for domestic analysis institutions.

In addition, the NSSC plans to strengthen links among the currently dispersed nationwide environmental · air · seawater radiation data to build an integrated information system. In the future, it will expand data disclosure, focusing on information closely related to people's daily lives.

Chairperson Choi Won-ho stated, “The 2027 NSSC budget plan includes essential funds to respond promptly not only to current but also future safety regulation issues, and above all, to transparently disclose the safety regulation process and results to the public, fostering closer communication.”

The 2027 budget plan will be finalized after deliberation and resolution by the National Assembly, and the NSSC will actively work to ensure the 2027 budget plan is fully reflected during the National Assembly's budget review process.

2026-13th Meeting of Commission


The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC, Chairperson Choi Won-ho) held the 2026-13 meeting of the Commission via paper and received a report on an agenda item on August 27 (Thurs).

Report Item 1

The NSSC received a report on the review plan from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety for the application** for standard design approval* for the innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR), which is currently proceeding under government leadership.

* If NPPs are planned to be constructed repeatedly with the same design, a licensee can apply for licensing for that design. Approved items may not need to be listed in future construction permit and operating license applications (valid for 10 years).

** (Applicant) (Re) Innovative Small Modular Reactor Development Agency, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co, Ltd., Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety conducted a document conformity review* on standard design approval application documents submitted at the end of February, 2026. The review results confirmed** that the licensee must supplement a partial set of items (13 items); however, the review plan was established because the overall level seemed to be set to launch a safety review.

* Review whether the application documents are appropriately written in accordance with the Nuclear Safety Act, the enforcement decree, and relevant notices, so that they are sufficient for technical review regarding the format and content

** Among 225 supplement-required items in total, the applicant completed 212 items and submitted supplement plans for 13 items (will take measures subsequently from Sep 2026 ~ Jun 2027)

Under current law, the standard design approval review should be completed within 24 months*. However, since the applicant plans to supplement the document by June 2027 and submit the major verification test results by June 2028, the review completion point is expected to be flexible.

* The period for supplementing and revising application documents and the experiment period for safety checks are not included in calculating the review period

In the future, the review will focus on the safety of design modules for innovative small modular reactors and on the design characteristics of the passive safety system. The NSSC will also confirm whether the approval standards are met under the law.