Korea shares nuclear communication knowhow with developing world

Korea Nuclear Energy Agency (KNEA) communication director Kim Seung-kyeom, second from left, poses with Namira El Sayed, third from left, a chief engineer at the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority, and other participants during a workshop at the KNEA headquarters in Seoul, April 24. / Courtesy of KNEA

By Lee Hyo-sik

The Korea Nuclear Energy Agency (KNEA) has been sharing its communication knowhow and expertise with Egypt, the Philippines and other developing countries. The move is aimed at helping them more effectively deal with any possible social conflict arising from building and running nuclear power plants.

In cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the state agency has invited government officials from the developing world, and organized workshops and other learning programs for them.

Through the program, the KNEA has been passing on its expertise on introducing pro-nuclear energy campaigns and other communication strategies to form favorable public opinions toward the use of nuclear energy.

From April 24 to 28, KNEA, affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, held a workshop session for officials from the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA).

During the five-day program, the Egyptian participants attended workshops to learn about Korea’s nuclear energy policies, communication skills, risk management and other knowhow the KNEA has accumulated since its foundation in 1992.

In addition, the Egyptian officials toured Kori nuclear power plant near Busan, and visited a radioactive waste disposal facility and the headquarters of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

“At the request of the IAEA, we have been organizing workshops for nuclear officials from developing countries and shared our communication knowhow with them,” KNEA Chairman Kim Ho-sung said. “It is important for the countries starting to use nuclear energy to have effective communications strategies to minimize any possible social conflict. It is also a must to provide information in a transparent and objective manner.”

These exchanges will improve the image of Korea’s nuclear industry in the developing world, according to the chairman. He added it will create a favorable environment for the Korea Electric Power Corp. and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to expand their overseas businesses.

“We will continue to increase training programs for developing countries, while working harder to hone our expertise and build a more extensive overseas network,” Kim said.

NPPA’s chief engineer Namira El Sayed said that she and her colleagues learned more about the importance of the right communication concerning nuclear energy.

“It is more important than anything else for Egypt to reach a public consensus prior to building nuclear power plants,” she said “We will make the best use of KNEA’s communications skills to form social unity about nuclear power.”

Last December, the KNEA organized a workshop for government officials from the Philippines, which is set to restart a stalled nuclear power plant project. The agency has also signed cooperation agreements with its counterparts in China, Finland and other countries.