S.Koreans rally against new N-power plants

[Ulhas Joglekar]

28 December 1999
S.Koreans rally against new N-power plants
SEOUL, South Korea: About 1,000 villagers and environmentalists staged a
rally Monday to demand that the government scrap plans to build more nuclear
power plants in South Korea.
South Korea has 15 nuclear power plants in operation and five more under
construction. It plans to build 11 others by 2015. The country gets 40
percent of its electricity from nuclear energy.
"Nuclear power plants can create havoc," said Seok Kwang-hoon, a spokesman
for Green Korea, a major environmental group. The two-hour rally was held in
Wolsong on the nation's southeast coast where government officials were
belatedly celebrating the dedication of two recently built nuclear power
plants.
About 500 riot police stood guard but there were no reports of clashes or
injuries. The state power utility, Korea Electric Power Corp., said the two
plants in Wolsong have been in commercial operation since July 1998 and
October this year, respectively, but their formal dedication has been
delayed because of "internal procedures." They declined to elaborate.
The two plants have been under close scrutiny since early October when 46
litres (12 gallons) of radioactive water leaked from one of its reactors,
exposing 22 workers to radiation.
The level of radiation was negligible and nobody was injured, but the
accident aroused public concern over safety controls at South Korea's
nuclear plants.
The leak touched off angry protests by Wolsong villagers and
environmentalists. In addition to four nuclear power plants in operation in
Wolsong, the government plans to build four more there.
The Wolsong plants are equipped with Canadian-made heavy-water reactors,
each with a rated capacity of 700 megawatts. (Associated Press)
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Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 1999.