Press Release
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- [January 23, 2025] NSSC Reviews Wolsong Unit 2 Abnormally Discharging Liquid Waste from Disposal System
NSSC Reviews Wolsong Unit 2 Abnormally Discharging Liquid Waste from Disposal System
- safety culture at the site is important
The Chairperson Choi Wonho from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission visited Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant (located in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do) to check the condition of safety management at the site on January 23rd before the Lunar New Year.
Chairperson Choi checked major system including a storage tank of liquid radioactive waste and an isolation valve, since abnormal discharge from the liquid waste disposal system happened at Wolsong Unit 2 on January 12th.
Chairperson Choi asked staff members from NPPs, saying, “Complying with basics and prioritizing safety is foremost important to prevent accidents. Safety culture should root deeply in the field.”
He also had a meeting with the head of Wolsong Nuclear Safety Council* and explained that the NSSC would continue to manage the NPP safety without any loophole, even during the holidays for Lunar New Year, while listening to the opinions on nuclear safety from local residents.
* Launched in 2015 to foster participation and communication of local residents on nuclear safety and upgraded to legal organization as the Nuclear Safety Communication Act was implemented in June 2022.
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- [January 21, 2025] Make Safe Society Free from NPP Accidents and Radiation Risks in 2025
Make Safe Society Free from NPP Accidents and Radiation Risks in 2025
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (Chairperson Choi Wonho, hereinafter the NSSC) announced ‘Plan for NSSC’s Main Tasks for 2025’ on January 22nd. The NSSC set the goal of ‘creating a safe society to be protected from NPP accidents and radiation risks.’ It will come up with six major tasks, including ‘Responsible and effective nuclear safety for our people’ and ‘Detailed communication to make our people feel relieved.’
1 Regulatory System Innovation for Nuclear Facilities
The NSSC will expand the scope of the ongoing inspection to all NPPs, which is currently only applied to Saeul Unit 2 (located in Ulsan Metropolitan City, Ulju-gun) as a part of a pilot program. This inspection is conducted on an ongoing basis, in addition to regular inspections performed during the maintenance period. Inspectors could spend enough time on inspection and would be able to check safety. This year, the NSSC will also plan to increase inspection efficiency by including in-depth inspections which are performed when irregular symptoms or singularities are found in NPPs.
Considering the fact that the number of operating NPPs is increasing and regulatory resources are limited, the NSSC will prepare to adopt ‘regulations based on risk information’ to check safety effectively. The US currently runs risk-information-based regulations, placing more inspections on equipment to ensure high safety and enhance licensees’ responsibility. The NSSC will thoroughly review cases from other countries and plan to build a road map so that regulation based on risk information can be implemented appropriately in a domestic regulatory environment.
The NSSC will improve the continued operation system to check the safety of continued-operating NPPs effectively. The improvement includes revising the item list and procedures to review the safety of continued operation, making licensees provide explanatory notes on the radiation effect from continued operation to people living near NPPs, and having online public hearings for regional residents.
Besides, the NSSC will complement the system to effectively dispose of large amounts of radioactive waste when decommissioning NPPs and revise lower statutes to thoroughly prepare for the licensing system of nuclear fuel cycle facilities updated by the revision of the Nuclear Safety Act.
* Revise licensing for nuclear fuel cycle business to construction and operating licenses on nuclear fuel cycle facilities to achieve consistency with the licensing process for other nuclear facilities.
2 Regulatory Cooperation to Support Exports in the NPP Industry
The NSSC will continuously cooperate with the Czech Republic to support exports in the NPP industry as a nuclear safety regulator. To prove that a reactor type for export (APR1000*) is safe despite South Korea not having one yet, the NSSC will conduct a safety review on the standard design approval of APR1000**. A detailed plan for cooperation with SUJB will also be prepared in the future.
* Modify facility capacity and safety equipment from the existing reactor type, APR1400 (Shinhanul and Saeul NPPs)
** When a licensee tries to construct a commercial reactor and relevant facilities repeatedly under the same design, he should request a license to confirm the safety of the design (standard design).
3 Preemptive Preparation of Regulatory Foundation for Future Reactors
The NSSC will complete the review system to verify the safety of an innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR), which is nationally under development to secure competitiveness in the global small reactor market. The SMR has a different design characteristic compared to large NPPs. Therefore, the NSSC will prepare for appropriate regulatory standards and technologies before applying for the SDA of i-SMR, which is anticipated to be around 2026. Moreover, the NSSC will make efforts to minimize trial and error along with uncertainty by frequently delivering opinions from a regulatory perspective to developers.
So far, SMR has not yet been commercialized in Korea. Moreover, there is a new concept of non-light water reactors (high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, molten salt reactors, etc.). A licensing system for developing SMR and non-light water reactors will be established in the mid-to-long term. In order to do so, the NSSC will actively launch R&D and provide more opportunities to communicate with other countries developing SMRs to raise the professionality of regulators.
4 Upgraded Preparatory System for Nuclear Accidents
The comprehensive accident management system is prepared, which covers from initial response to preventing and mitigating severe accidents as the AMP* of Korean-type reactor, APR1400 (Shinhanul and Saeul NPPs) was approved at the 206th meeting of the Commission (January 9th, 2025). The NSSC will plan strategies for accident management that include approved programs, implementation systems, and facilities responsive to accidents and let them settle down at NPP sites.
* A document that stipulates preparation against nuclear accidents. It is to prevent the spread but minimize the impact of accidents while fully recovering from nuclear accidents through strategies, systems, and equipment.
The NSSC will preemptively prepare for a protective system to respond to newly advanced threats, such as new types of terror and hacking, as technologies evolve. Requirements for a protective system will be adopted from the initial steps, such as design and construction for nuclear facilities. A regulation-specialized institute will also directly join the process while a licensee develops training scenarios to increase the efficiency of protective training, complementing the overall training program. In terms of new kinds of drone threats, pan-national response will be prepared by closely cooperating with related ministries such as the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, the National Police Agency, etc.
When a nuclear accident happens, the public and the environment should be primarily protected. Therefore, the NSSC will enhance the ability to respond by reviewing the national radiation emergency preparedness and response system. Developing a new scenario, enlarging the number of people participating in the training, and having joint training with the relevant ministries, assuming there is a nuclear accident in nearby countries such as China and Japan, will increase the practicality of radiation EPR training.
5 Enhanced Safety Net for Public Protection
The NSSC will conduct a health impact assessment to determine how many residents near the NPPs have been impacted by radiation. It will also establish an information-sharing system with Taiwan* to oversee the Fukushima contaminated water discharge in more detail and respond preemptively.
* Kuroshio Current passes near Taiwan, letting the contaminated water flow into South Korea.
In 2024, Samsung Electronic’s Kiheung Campus experienced a radiation exposure incident. In order to prevent the incident from reoccurring, the NSSC will improve the safety management system for radiation-using institutes, including radioisotopes, that are responsible for reporting their use of radiation for the sake of safety. Since the number of domestic institutes that should report the use of radiation is up to about 9 thousand (as of 2024) and it is impossible to inspect all institutes, the NSSC will make the institutes report safety-related information such as how many devices they have and how they deal with changes within safety managers. The regulatory system will also be reinforced by requiring radiation safety managers to take regular training (3 hours a year).
6 Increased Public Trust Through Communication Innovation
The NSSC will actively communicate with people who live near the NPPs through the Nuclear Safety Council. Also, it will utilize the off-site emergency management center (OEMC)* for metropolitan areas to strengthen emergency preparedness and response against complex disasters and share safety information with people near the NPPs. Likewise, various ways for better communication will follow.
* One in Ulju (Kori, Saeul, and Wolsong) was established in 2022. Others for Hanul and Hanbit aim to be built in 2025 and 2026.
The NSSC will actively let the public join the biggest event held in Korea, the Nuclear Safety and Security Information Conference 2025 (in July 2025), where people can share and communicate nuclear safety-related information with others from various fields. Round-table meetings and radiation safety consulting sessions will be prepared for better communication so that voices from nuclear industries, academia, and research can be well-received and reflected in policies.
Chairperson Choi Wonho said, “Based on science and technologies, the NSSC will put the utmost effort into visualizing a safe society away from nuclear-related incidents and radiation risk by strengthening the nuclear safety regulatory system in 2025. The NSSC will not stop its effort but try the best to be ever more trusted.”
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- [January 12, 2025] NSSC Launched Investigation on Abnormal Discharge of Liquid Waste from Treatment System of Wolsong Unit 2
NSSC Launched Investigation on Abnormal Discharge of Liquid Waste from Treatment System of Wolsong Unit 2
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (Chairperson Choi Wonho, hereinafter referred to as the NSSC) said that it received the report from the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to the KHNP) around 10:23 AM on January 12th. The report stated that the liquid waste within the normally operating Wolsong Unit 2 storage tank did not go through sample analysis but was discharged to the ocean directly.
Once the KHNP found that the tank outlet valve was opened while preparing to discharge liquid waste to the ocean (agitation for sample analysis) on the morning of January 12th, it closed the valve immediately to block the leakage. Afterward, the KHNP analyzed the sample lingering in the tank and briefed that the concentration* and discharged radioactivity** (estimated) were within the range of normal discharge.
* Tritium: 3.79×108Bq/m3, and Gamma nuclide: 1.219×104Bq/m3
** The discharged amount was about 29 tons. Included radioactivity was tritium of 1.116×1010Bq, and Gamma nuclide of 3.589×105Bq estimated. The exposed amount of radioactivity on residents is about 6.97×10-8 mSv per year.
(Personal dose for laypeople is about 1mSV annually)
As soon as the KHNP reported, the NSSC dispatched an expert from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) to find out the exact amount of leakage and the reason for the leak. Moreover, the NSSC will collect the seawater from nearby NPPs to check the environmental impact in detail.
In the future, the NSSC will release the results of a detailed environmental impact assessment and the appropriateness of safety measures after the investigation.
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- [January 9, 2025] NSSC Will Invest 55.8 billion Won to Nuclear Safety R&D In 2025
NSSC Will Invest 55.8 billion Won to Nuclear Safety R&D In 2025
Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (Chairperson Choi Wonho, hereinafter referred to as the NSSC) held the 206th meeting of the Commission to deliberate, resolve, and confirm the Nuclear Safety R&D Program Plan for 2025 (draft) on January 9, 2025 (Thurs).
The NSSC will support seven ongoing programs and two new programs by investing 55.8 billion and 78 million won in the Nuclear Safety R&D Program 2025 to secure technological capacities for safety regulation and regulatory technologies for current issues.
2.9 billion and 25 million won will be spent on a new program called ‘Developing the Fundamental and Foundation Technologies for Nuclear Safety Regulation.’ It is to secure technologies that can be based on preemptive responses against future safety matters, such as regulatory demands for non-light water reactors, and continue to expand the foundation of regulatory studies in industry, academia, and research institutes.
NSSC also plans to secure full-cycle regulatory technologies preemptively, which includes the construction, operation, decommission, EPR, and protection related to Small Modular Reactors in order to prepare for the construction and operation of i-SMR by investing 3.3 billion won in a new program called ‘SMR Full Cycle Safety Regulation Verification Technology Development.’
Moreover, NSSC will invest 48.2 billion and 49 million won to continuously support the seven regular R&D programs to achieve goals in securing major technologies and drawing research results successfully in safety regulation on nuclear, radiation, nuclear non-proliferation, and security.
Chairperson Choi said, “R&D for nuclear and radiation safety regulation is essential for implementing regulations based on science and technologies. The NSSC will effectively respond to regulatory demands by thoroughly managing R&D programs.”
<Reference> Nuclear Safety R&D Program Subsidy Status 2025 (Unit: Million Won)
Title
Continued
New
Total
1 Develop Safety Regulatory Elements and Convergence Technologies
1,230
-
1,230
2 Upgrade Nuclear Safety Regulation Verification Technologies
25,436
-
25,436
3 Develop Core Technologies to Secure Spent Fuel Storage/Disposal Safety
4,173
-
4,173
4 Develop Safety and Regulation Technologies for Small and Medium Sized Reactors
8,250
2,700
10,950
5 Establish Regulatory Foundation for Multi-Units Probabilistic Safety Assessment
1500
-
1500
6 Develop Technologies to Analyze Radioactive Nuclide in Marine Environment
2,960
-
2,960
7 Develop Technologies to Respond to Nuclear Activities from Neighboring Countries
2,000
-
2,000
8 Develop Basic/Fundamental Technologies for Nuclear Safety and Regulation (New in 2025)
-
2,925
2,925
9 Develop Verification Technologies on Full Cycle Safety Regulation for SMR (New in 2025)
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3,300
3,300
In Total
45,549
8,925
54,474
※ Additional fee to support Spent Fuel Core Technology Development Program Team and SMR Regulatory Research Team (one billion and 404 million won)
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- [January 9, 2025] NSSC Held 206th Meeting of Commission
NSSC Held 206th Meeting of Commission
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (Chairperson Choi Wonho, hereinafter referred to as the ‘NSSC’) held the 206th meeting of the Commission on January 9, 2025 (Thurs) to deliberate and resolve two agenda items.
(Deliberation/Resolution Item 1) The NSSC resolved the Nuclear Safety Research and Development Program Plan (draft) for 2025, which requires 55.8 billion and 78 million won to secure technical capacity in safety regulation and regulatory technologies for issue response actions.
(Deliberation/Resolution Item 2) The NSSC approved the Accident Management Program, which the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. submitted for APR1400 (Shinhanul Units 1 and 2, and Saeul Units 1 and 2).
- The NSSC was briefed on the review and inspection results from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and the pre-review result from the Nuclear Safety Advisory Council during the three times of meetings (the 203rd, 204th, and 205th meetings of the Commission).
- Today’s meeting confirmed that the aforementioned AMPs complied with the standards stated in Article 21-1-6 of the Nuclear Safety Act.
* It is the document to request an operating license by comprehensively describing response strategy, organization, education, and training on possible severe accidents in NPPs. It was added in June 2016 as the modified legislation was implemented. The KHNP submitted AMPs for regular NPPs in June 2019.
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- [January 9, 2025] NSSC Approved AMPs for APR1400 Reactors (Saeul Units 1·2, and Shinhanul Units 1·2)
NSSC Approved AMPs for APR1400 Reactors (Saeul Units 1·2, and Shinhanul Units 1·2)
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (Chairperson Choi Wonho, hereinafter referred to as the NSSC) approved the AMPs for APR1400 reactor type, Saeul Units 1 and 2 and Shinhanul Units 1 and 2 at the 206th Meeting of the Commission on January 9th (Thurs).
* (Accident Management Program) It is a document that stipulates preparation against nuclear accidents. It is to prevent the spread and minimize the impact of accidents while fully recovering from nuclear accidents by setting strategies and implementing systems and equipment.
As the AMP was added to the required documents for an NPP operating license following the revision of 「 Nuclear Safety Act」 in June 2015, the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. submitted the AMPs for 28 NPPs in June 2019, including two permanent shutdown units.
The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) first reviewed the AMPs for Saeul Units 1 and 2 and Shinhanul Units 1 and 2 to see if they were appropriate. Then, KINS confirmed that the accident management capability of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., including accident managing strategies and implementation system, satisfied the criteria for permission.
Nuclear Safety Advisory Council also checked that the review result from KINS was adequate after 9 months of pre-review.
* Comprised of 15 experts in reactor, severe accident, radiation, etc.
There were four discussions once the resolution was first started in the 203rd meeting of the Commission (24.10.18). At the 206th meeting of the Commission, the NSSC confirmed that the AMPs for Saeul Units 1 and 2 and Shinhanul Units 1 and 2 satisfied the standard for approval as stated in Article 21-1-6 of the Nuclear Safety Act and approved them.
As the AMPs were permitted, the KHNP plans to secure safety equipment such as movable generators and employees in charge. The KHNP will also strengthen the capacity to respond to accidents by conducting regular accident management training*.
* Conduct every 2 years per Unit to maintain the effectiveness of AMP
In the future, the NSSC will thoroughly check the efficiency of accident management strategies and the appropriateness of evaluating accident management regarding AMPs for other NPPs, such as Kori Units 2 to 4, and apply them to sites after the deliberation.
Chairperson Choi said, “As the AMP is approved, the foundation to manage the comprehensive accident management capacity systemically is now prepared to cover from initial incidents to preventing and mitigating severe accidents.”