Nuclear reactor shuts down

No. 3 reactor at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant

By Kim Se-jeong

A nuclear reactor in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, shut down Thursday only five days after it resumed operations.

According to the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp. (KHNP), the malfunction of a coolant pump inside the reactor appears to have caused the No. 3 reactor at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant to stop. There were no reports of casualties or radioactive material leakage.

The incident is expected to re-ignite concerns about the safety of nuclear reactors in the country.

“The reactor is currently in a stable condition and an investigation is underway to find out the exact cause of the stoppage,” KHNP said in a text message sent out to journalists.

The reactor shut down last year due to problems with its steam generator. The reactor went through a months-long investigation and received operational approval from the nuclear safety commission early this month.

The troubled reactor is one of 23 nuclear reactors operating in Korea.

The Hanbit plant alone has six reactors ― the oldest reactor has been running since 1986. The government recently resumed operations of one reactor at Kori Nuclear Power Plant in South Gyeongsang Province after its operation date had expired. This drew strong opposition from environmentalists and local residents.