Topic: Future of Nuclear Power
Country: South Korea
Delegate Name: Jacob Schacht
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All South Korea position papers GLIMUN 2011 committees
The Republic of Korea would like to express its deepest condolences for the nation of Japan and its people continuing to suffer from the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. A natural disaster can come at any time, and the Republic of Korea supports how their neighboring government has worked to resolve the crisis. Though in light of this disaster, nuclear power should continue to be researched and developed because of its tremendous benefits as an alternative energy source. Nuclear power is energy efficient, with little emissions of carbon dioxide and low fuel costs compared to coal, oil and gas. Currently, there are twenty-one reactors in South Korea which provide 31% of the electricity for the nation, and the government desires to continue the development of the technology into the future by marketing and investing around the world.
The Republic of Korea has deep concerns regarding the safety of nuclear plants domestically and abroad, and has been intensely focused domestically on the safety of its nuclear reactors since the disaster in Japan. The government created an emergency response task force to evaluate and analyze domestic radiation effects. The Republic of Korea has carried out a safety review of all domestic nuclear sites finding, after the comprehensive examination, that its nuclear power plants exceeded the criteria, safety functioning and emergency preparedness wise. In addition, improvement plans have been established to ensure the safe function and response against natural disasters will continue to exceed design criteria. The Republic of Korea requested the first organized Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission after the nuclear dilemma in Japan over the summer. The IAEA assembled a sixteen man team of senior regulatory experts of fourteen nations to conduct the IRRS mission involving the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and Korean Institute for Nuclear Safety (KINS). The mission determined that Korea’s response to the accident at Fukushima has been prompt and effective, and the government has a clear and structured national approach for nuclear safety amongst other things. Also, a new independent regulatory body called the Nuclear Safety Commission was established in October 2011.
The Republic of Korea authorities are open and committed to sharing experiences with the world community in order to make for the best nuclear safety. The Japanese government has come up with twenty-eight lessons learned which, as the Republic of Korea feels, can be utilized by the world community to increase safety and emergency response at all nuclear facilities. The Republic of Korea has met with leaders of China and Japan, and all three have pledged to increase their cooperation on nuclear safety and disaster preparedness. The Republic of Korea also has an interest in renewable resources and would be very willing to develop plans regarding those as well. The IAEA should also play a lead role in conducting safety checks and promoting safety standards. IRRS missions are crucial worldwide. The Republic of Korea would also agree that the IAEA’s safety standards could be upgraded with consideration of the lessons and experiences of Japan, the Republic of Korea and other nations.
Nuclear power used to violent ends is a real threat to the Republic of Korea. North Korea has been causing problems through violence with regard to the recent bombings of South Korean territory, killing troops. They have also released plans to build a nuclear facility behind the metaphorically dark curtain drawn by the North Korean government. South Korea is very aggravated by these actions, but does not desire to involve nuclear weapons. Stronger UN enforcement might be necessary, but the Republic of Korea understands that North Korea is a threat to other nations, and South Korea is willing to work with those nations to resolve the conflict.
The Republic of Korea feels very adamantly about nuclear safety and is more than willing to share experiences and work with other nations to develop a safer world with nuclear technology.
