About 400 people from the government, nuclear industry, research, and other circles were on hand at a ceremony to celebrate the 3rd Nuclear Power Safety and Promotion Day at the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) headquarters in Seoul on Dec. 27. The anniversary event, supposed to be a festive occasion, became a time of soul-searching on the part of those in the nuclear industry.

Minister of Knowledge Economy (MKE) Hong Suk-woo delivered a speech in which he urged those in the nuclear industry to reinvent themselves to the extent that the general public feels at home with nuclear power in terms of safety. Hong said, “The nuclear power industry should connect with people beyond simply winning the sympathy of the public.” The minister said this occasion should be a time for those in the nuclear industry to reflect on past mistakes and faults and pledge to innovate. 

Representatives from industry, academia, and research circles read a document of determination to conduct soul-searching over mistakes and faults and make a new start with a mindset of innovation. Of late, the nuclear power industry has been rocked by frequent stoppages at nuclear power plants and the forging of quality guarantee certificates. 

Nuclear Power Safety and Promotion Day was observed as an official commemoration day on Dec. 27, 2010 in celebration of the nation’s landing a deal to export nuclear power units to the United Arab Emirates on Dec. 27, 2009.

Among those on hand at the ceremony were MKE Minister Hong, Vice Minister of Education, Science and Technology Cho Yul-nae and the CEOs of power companies, including KEPCO, as well as related firms including Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. 

The anniversary event also coincided with a session for presenting Nu-Tech 2012 and the draft of Nu-Tech 2030. The successful implementation of Nu-Tech 2012 has led to the development of homegrown nuclear technologies, including the Maintenance Management Information System (MMIS), Reactor Coolant Pumps (RCP), and Core Cord for the Design of Nuclear Power Plants, which have been supplanted by imports from foreign countries, as well as the APR+, the upgraded version of the homegrown standard nuclear power plant, achieving technological self-sufficiency in the nuclear power industry. 

Nu-Tech 2030 calls for upgrading the safety of nuclear power plants and strengthening the Korean nuclear power industry’s competitive edge, designed to follow up on the demands mounting in the post-Nu-Tech 2012 era.