Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power President Cho Seok. (photos: KHNP)

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) President Cho Seok pledged his strong determination to make a fresh start for the company and the nuclear power industry.

KHNP President Cho, in his New Year’s message, said, “This year marks the 120th anniversary of the Gapo Gyeongjeong (Modernization Revolution) in 1894, the 31st year of the reign of King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty in which the nation attempted to reform all sectors, including politics and the economy. Korea has since made strides, as the Korean economy has ranked 10th in the world.” 

“As our ancestors reinvented themselves endlessly by revamping old systems to usher in a new era, our company will have to brace for a new future by correcting wrongdoings and changing abnormalities to restoring KHNP to normalcy,” he said. 

“Looking back at the developments of the Korean nuclear power industry,” Cho said, “the industry, which launched the Kori Nuclear Power Unit Project in 1972, suffered twists and turns and had honors and disgraces. Korea’s construction of nuclear power units with hard-gained foreign loans was imbued with the dreams of female garment workers at Cheonggaecheon who had slogged away overnight, the sweat and pain of Korean fighters in the Vietnam War, and Koreas’ unswerving determination to acquire the nuclear power technology it lacks, and the development of the Korean nuclear power industry was behind Korea’s rapid economic development,” he said. 

President Cho said he wishes his company will regain trust from the general public and his company’s pride, and he designated the new year as a year for restoring the pride the company lost. To this end, he said, KHNP will have to do some soul searching through self-reflection and reinventing to the core by breaking the mold. 

KHNP is the single largest nuclear power company in the world with unmatched capability of building nuclear power units, and the company is now constructing four nuclear power units in the United Arab Emirates and as many as eight others in Korea are planned or are under construction.   

Cho said he could see his staff’s strong determination to reinvent themselves whenever he saw them on site. He hoped they all will see eye to eye that they are the innovative movers and their resolve will blossom into flames of innovation. 

“In order for KHNP to be reborn into a company that makes a fresh start and regains the public trust through the launching of the so-called 2nd Founding, first, we must successfully implement our top three innovation tasks in organization, personnel, and corporate culture,” Cho said. 

“Second, KHNP will have to usher in a new era of nuclear power with the public’s acceptance. I hope new possibilities will unfold for nuclear power, a symbol of advanced science and technology, so that it can communicate with human beings and converged naturally and achieve people’s full acceptance of the nuclear power industry leading to mutual understanding and communication.”

“Third,” he said, “KHNP will ensure a stable supply of electricity.” 

“Finally, KHNP will complete pending projects on time.” 

 Regarding his call for KHNP to pick up the pieces and overcome crisis, President Cho suggested his management buzzwords “haehyeon gyeongjang,” a Chinese proverb, meaning “getting back to the basics without loosening up the taut spirit in difficult times.”