Asia-Pacific

S Korea to run safety checks on nuke plant

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-20 16:57

SEOUL - South Korea's oldest nuclear reactor will go through a month-long safety checkup after it was shut down for a technical glitch, a state-run nuclear power company said Wednesday.

"While it is shut down, the Kori-1 nuclear reactor will undergo a closer inspection by the science ministry, considering public concerns over safety of the reactor," head of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co (KHNP) told reporters in a briefing, referring to a reactor located in South Korea's southeastern coastal town of Gori.

"It will resume operation after receiving authorization from the government and the Korean Institute of Nuclear Safety,"he added.

The Kori reactor, which began operation in 1978, was shut down last week due to malfunction of electric circuits. The government plans to continue running the reactor through 2017, long past its original 30-year lifespan.

With neighboring Japan faced with a devastating nuclear crisis, local civic groups here have been increasingly vociferous in calling for the total shutdown of the decrepit reactor.