A nuclear reactor temporarily stopped operation Saturday due to a technical glitch, its operator said, but the accident does not pose any radiation risks.
The 950,000-kilowatt "Hanbit 1" reactor stopped operating at around 5:16 a.m. due to a problem in a device that condenses a steam into water, according to the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, the operator of Korea's nuclear power plants.
The operator said the device, which is required to maintain vacuum, stopped operation as its vacuum pressure dropped due to an unidentified reason, which automatically led to the shutdown of the reactor under the safety system. It may take days to determine the cause of the accident, the operator said.
The reactor began its commercial operation in 1986 and it is set to retire 2025. The reactor is located in Yeonggwang, about 350 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
Korea currently operates 22 nuclear reactors, supplying about 30 percent of its total electricity consumption. (Yonhap)