Opposition parties, civic groups protest nuke plant project

Opposition parties and civic groups are objecting to the government selection of two candidate sites for nuclear reactors -- Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province and Samcheok in Gangwon Province.

The surprise move came in the wake of growing opposition to nuclear power plants following the radioactive leak at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.

Fearing a long-term shortage of power supply following a mass blackout Sept. 15, the government is pushing for policy to expand nuclear power plants by using the incident as turning point. Civic groups and opposition parties, however, are moving to turn the matter into apolitical dispute, citing safety concerns.

The main opposition United Democratic Party said, "This is not an issue the incumbent government has to decide," demanding withdrawal of the announcement.

Thus the government is thus in a dilemma over nuclear plants ahead of the general and presidential elections next year.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. told a briefing on the selection of nuclear reactor candidate sites Friday, "A survey of residents in Yeongdeok and Samcheok on nuclear power plants suggest that half of them on average approve of such projects," adding, "The ratio in Samcheok was slightly below half of the residents."

The survey was designed to determine resident acceptability, an indicator for assessment of candidate sites. It was conducted on 500 residents each by three polling agencies, and a combined 1,500 people each in Yeongwol and Samcheok counties through a phone survey.

The approval rating reached 75 percent in an early March survey whose results were announced in late June, so the new survey suggests approval has significantly declined. This apparently results from the aftereffects of the March meltdown at the Fukushima plant in Japan.

mint4a@donga.com imlee@donga.com