Lee reiterates strong commitment to nuclear power

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more Lee remarks, CHANGES headline, ADDS byline, photo)
By Chang Jae-soon
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak reiterated a strong commitment to atomic power Tuesday, saying it would be moving backward to give up on the efficient and clean energy and that Japan's nuclear accident should serve as a chance to make atomic power plants safer.
Lee made the remarks during a visit to South Korea's nuclear safety agency, saying atomic power is an important source of energy for South Korea, which relies on imports for all of its oil and gas needs. He also said nuclear power is better than fossil fuels in terms of preventing climate change.
"It would be moving backward to abandon (nuclear power) just because the Japanese nuclear accident happened. It would be for mankind to move backward in terms of technology," Lee told researchers at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety in the central city of Daejeon.
"Airplanes have a low accident rate, but their fatality rate is high. Do we say we should not take airplanes because of that?" Lee said. "We have to make safer nuclear power plants. We should not give up" on nuclear power.
Lee said he plans to propose at the upcoming summit with Japan and China that the three nations should exchange nuclear safety information. The summit, set for Saturday and Sunday, will bring together Lee, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Lee also held a video conference call with the chief of South Korea's oldest nuclear reactor, the Gori-1 reactor, calling for thorough preparations for any safety contingencies. The reactor has resumed operation after suffering an emergency shutdown due to a minor mechanical glitch last month.



Atomic power plants are an important source of energy for South Korea. The country has 21 nuclear reactors and gets about 40 percent of its total electricity from the plants.
In an interview with the French daily Le Monde published Tuesday, Lee also said the nuclear accident in Japan reminded the world of the importance of nuclear safety, but the disaster won't lead to any change in South Korea's nuclear power policy.
"Our nuclear power plant policy will go ahead as planned, as South Korea relies on imports for 100 percent of its energy needs, and we need to diversify energy sources in view of the fact that atomic power is clean energy," Lee said in the interview held on May 14 during his visit to Paris.
Lee said the country's reliance on atomic power could decrease only when renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, become readily available to replace nuclear power. Otherwise, it would be difficult to lower the reliance for the time being, he said.
Lee also said South Korea's nuclear power plants are among the safest in the world and that is why the country was able to win a massive deal in December 2009 to construct atomic reactors in the United Arab Emirates.
jschang@yna.co.kr