ID :
208280
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 12:52
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/208280
The shortlink copeid
Court rejects injunction over Korea's oldest nuclear reactor
BUSAN, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- A Busan court on Tuesday dismissed the request of local residents to force South Korea's oldest nuclear reactor to immediately suspend its prolonged operation due to fears of radioactive leaks.
The eastern branch of the Busan District Court turned down the request, saying the 30-year-old Gori-1 reactor is safe and well under control by its operator, state-run Korea Hydro-Nuclear Power Co.
A group of 97 Busan citizens, including environmentalists, sought the injunction in April after the company decided in 2008 to extend the operation of the reactor, originally designed for only 30 years, for a further 10 years.
The citizens demanded an immediate suspension of the operation, claiming that prolonged use could lead to radioactive leaks. Fears of radiation spills escalated following Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami in March, during which the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was badly damaged.
"It is accepted that the Korea Hydro is currently conducting proper technical management to keep under control potential risks stemming from the contined operation of the Gori-1 reactor," Judge Park Chi-bong said in the verdict.
Key parts of the plant prone to erosion have been replaced and the newest technologies have been added to update the reactor's resistance to an earthquake of up to 6.5 magnitude, and a tsunami, the court said.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they may appeal the case.
The reactor operator hailed the court decision and vowed to "make further efforts to secure safety over the operations of the Gori-1 reactor as well as others nationwide."
After initially being put into operation in 1978, operation of the country's first nuclear reactor was suspended in June 2007 after three decades of use. It went back on line in January 2008 after government approval.
The eastern branch of the Busan District Court turned down the request, saying the 30-year-old Gori-1 reactor is safe and well under control by its operator, state-run Korea Hydro-Nuclear Power Co.
A group of 97 Busan citizens, including environmentalists, sought the injunction in April after the company decided in 2008 to extend the operation of the reactor, originally designed for only 30 years, for a further 10 years.
The citizens demanded an immediate suspension of the operation, claiming that prolonged use could lead to radioactive leaks. Fears of radiation spills escalated following Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami in March, during which the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was badly damaged.
"It is accepted that the Korea Hydro is currently conducting proper technical management to keep under control potential risks stemming from the contined operation of the Gori-1 reactor," Judge Park Chi-bong said in the verdict.
Key parts of the plant prone to erosion have been replaced and the newest technologies have been added to update the reactor's resistance to an earthquake of up to 6.5 magnitude, and a tsunami, the court said.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they may appeal the case.
The reactor operator hailed the court decision and vowed to "make further efforts to secure safety over the operations of the Gori-1 reactor as well as others nationwide."
After initially being put into operation in 1978, operation of the country's first nuclear reactor was suspended in June 2007 after three decades of use. It went back on line in January 2008 after government approval.
