Park Jae-hyuk is a seasoned journalist who has provided comprehensive coverage of South Korea's corporate dynamics, economic policies, industry challenges and the global positioning of Korean companies. Based on the articles he has written since joining The Korea Times in 2016, his investigative approach has helped readers understand corporate governance, economic trends and business strategies shaping South Korea’s economy.
Criminal KHNP workers hurt Barakah plant
President Moon Jae-in, front row center, poses with United Arab Emirates government officials at the Unit 1 of the Barakah nuclear power plant in this March 26 file photo. / Yonhap
By Park Jae-hyuk
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power CEO Chung Jae-hoon
By Park Jae-hyuk
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) employees, who committed misdeeds at the Barakah nuclear power plant site in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are causing concerns about Korea's possible loss of the exclusive right to operate the plant after the construction, according to industry officials Thursday.
The data provided by KHNP to Rep. Jung You-sub of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party showed four workers dispatched to the UAE were disciplined for illegal acts this year.
The wrongdoings include driving under the influence of alcohol, sexual molestation and verbal abuse.
According to the lawmaker, a construction worker was caught drunk driving in March, and a worker in charge of a trial run was found to have imported prohibited alcohols.
In November, another worker in charge of the trial run was accused of violent language.
They returned home and faced reductions in their salaries.
The one who had molested a Southeast Asian female worker at the construction site for months was summoned to Korea in November and got fired after an in-house investigation by KHNP.
The victim, who was worried about losing her job, did not reveal the Korean worker's habitual sexual harassment at first, but his misdeeds become known to the public since her father asked KHNP and Korean residents in the Middle Eastern country to take punitive measures.
Industry officials fear that the series of troubles KHNP workers have caused may disrupt Korea's plan to win the management of Barakah plant after it is completed.
KHNP was initially expected to sign the long-term maintenance agreement with the UAE's state-run companies exclusively, but the Middle Eastern country has decided to open a bid in the first half of 2019.
Although Korea won the $18.6 billion design-and-build contract in 2009, operation and maintenance of the plant are regarded as more lucrative, considering the 60-year lifespan of a nuclear power plant.
Since Nawah Energy Company, a joint venture between the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), signed a long-term service agreement for the nuclear plant with French energy company EDF, Nov. 21, concerns have been further growing over Korea's possible failure to win a long-term operating contract for the power plant.
Moreover, many KHNP employees at the construction site have problems communicating with UAE officials.
Among 729 KHNP workers dispatched to the UAE, 109 scored below 700 in TOEIC, and three of them got below 300 in the test, according to KHNP.