By Kang Hyun-kyung
A senior government official pledged Tuesday to bolster safety measures imposed at nuclear power plants here. Under a proposed plan, nuclear power plants will be built on condition that they can withstand a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that occurs right beneath them.
The measures come amid mounting fears about radiation leakage from the possible meltdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake unleashed a monster tsunami on the northeastern region of Japan.
During a meeting with several lawmakers of the ruling Grand National Party, Kim Chang-kyung, second vice minister of education, science and technology, said Tuesday that despite the latest reactor disaster in Japan, there will be no problem in the safety of nuclear reactors operating in Korea.
“Existing power plants here will be able to generate electricity even if a 6.5-magnitude quake, the epicenter of which is located beneath the nuclear site, occurs,” he said.
Kim added the government will tighten safety measure further to better prepare for possible nuclear accidents. Three nuclear power plants are now under construction in South Korea. The heightened safety guidelines will be applied to the new plants.
The lawmakers also invited Ahn Hyun-ho, first vice minister of knowledge economy, and senior foreign ministry officials to a conference call held at the National Assembly.
The government officials briefed the GNP lawmakers on what was discussed at a late-night Cabinet meeting held Monday.
At the request of presidential chief of staff Yim Tae-hee, senior GNP lawmakers and officials of the presidential office joined the Monday meeting to discuss ways to help Japan handle the radiation scare.
Japan is one of the top three trading partners for Korea, and policymakers and legislators are watching closely the post-earthquake situation there.
Vice Minister Ahn forecast that oil prices will show signs of going down in the months to come.
“Japan is the world’s third largest oil consuming nation. As northeastern Japan was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, experts assume that demand for oil there will decrease,” he said.
Ahn also noted the political landscape of the Arab world was another factor affecting oil prices.
Rescue workers and dogs dispatched from Seoul will begin search efforts in Miyagi Prefecture today. They will search for survivors and bodies trapped under the rubble for the next two weeks.
Earlier, Seoul said it was willing to send 200,000 tons of drinking water to Japan to relieve shortages in the quake-hit region.
But Tokyo requested Seoul to wait until it finalizes and circulates a list of items its needs to nations that have expressed their willingness to offer aid to Japan.