President Moon Jae-in's policy to phase out nuclear energy is triggering controversy once again following Taiwan's referendum last week that voted in favor of nuclear power, rejecting President Tsai Ing-wen's strong push since taking office in 2016 to phase out nuclear energy by 2025.
The Moon administration has looked to Taiwan as a benchmark in carrying out the nuclear-phase out policy. So the result of Taiwan's referendum has prompted opposition parties to call for a reconsideration of Moon's anti-nuclear push. There are 24 nuclear power plants in Korea and five new plants are in the pipeline. The Moon administration has called for phasing out the nuclear power plants by 2082 and increase the use of renewable energy.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said that Taiwan's referendum will not have any impact on the government's energy transition policy, and that Taiwan's situation is different from ours. The ministry pointed out that a massive blackout last summer has increased the Taiwanese voters' concern about a stable power supply and this affected the referendum. However, it is necessary for the government to look closely at the Taiwanese case and reconsider its swift push to go nuclear-free for several reasons.
First, it is being carried out without sufficient communication with the public. A recent survey by Gallup showed a strong public discontent over Moon's anti-nuclear energy policy. According to the survey, 68 percent were in favor of maintaining nuclear power, while 28.5 percent wanted a reduction of nuclear plants. It would be a good idea to carry out a referendum since it is an issue that will have a tremendous impact on Korea's economy and people's lives. Some opposition lawmakers are also calling for a referendum.
Second, it does not make much sense that the President is talking about phasing out nuclear energy when he is trying to sell Korea's nuclear power technology abroad. Moon will travel to the Czech Republic, Tuesday, before heading to Argentina this week to take part in the G20 summit scheduled for Nov.30 to Dec. 1. Moon will also visit New Zealand from Dec. 2. It is expected that he will meet with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and seek the country's support for Korean companies' bid to take part in the construction of nuclear power plants pushed by the Czech government. Moon will explain the strengths of Korean companies in this regard.
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea are maintaining that it is a global trend to reduce nuclear energy. While that is true to some extent, it is also true that some major economies including Japan and France are slowing down the pace of their nuclear-free policies.
Many people still believe that without nuclear energy, maintaining a stable power supply will be difficult. The Moon administration should consider the people's concerns and reflect them in its basic energy policy which will be announced early next year. The plan should include proper consideration into the stability, cost-effectiveness and environmental impact of its energy shift initiatives, as well as ways to raise the competitiveness of our nuclear power industry.