ed New nuclear agency

We welcome the formal debut of the new, independent Nuclear Safety Commission under the direct control of President Lee Myung-bak Wednesday.

Considering the safety of atomic energy has emerged as the foremost concern of the globe since Fukushima, the move is only natural, demonstrating Korea’s determination on the safety issue.

Or so we thought ― until President Lee filled the commission’s top positions with figures who have represented the interests of the nuclear industry rather than struggling to reinforce regulatory standards to enhance safety and help ease popular concerns.

This is exactly like having players do the referee’s job. To put it more bluntly, it is little better than putting the safety agency on the hands of a ``nuclear mafia.”

After all, President Lee is a famous preacher of nuclear power himself, going squarely counter to a global trend toward safer and cleaner energy as well as controlling energy demand rather than increasing supply.

Little wonder the average number of safety personnel per nuclear plant in Korea is 16, far lower than the U.S.’s 38, France’s 37 and Japan’s 21.

All this shows the lesson of Fukushima has already been forgotten here. President Lee must rethink his commission operation ― and energy policy itself.