Trade Union’s Reaction
The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) trade union has decided to file an injunction to the court against the KHNP Board of Directors’ decision to suspend the construction of Shin Kori Nuclear Power Plant Units 5 and 6, which has been decided to suspend.
"We will apply for an injunction against the resolution by the board of directors at the Gyeongju District Court on July 19," said the KHNP Labor Union in a press conference in front of Seoul Government Complex Building on July 18. "We will bring a lawsuit against the board of directors for their breach of trust or liability for damages jointly with local residents and business partners," added Kim Byung-ki, chairman of the trade union of KHNP,
The labor unions of six state-run nuclear power generation companies including the labor unions of KEPCO and KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company participated in the press conference. "The KHNP board of directors rushed a resolution by surprise after an announcement was made by the new administration. The resolution is fundamentally invalid," they said. "Energy policy is not a matter of public debates by a small number of non-experts but a major national issue that should be decided after the formation of a public consensus.”
"The permanent suspension of Shin Kori 5 and 6 Units will incur 5 to 6 trillion won (US$4.5 to 5.4 billion) in damages due to burial cost, penalties for breach of contract and the bankruptcy of related companies,” the union also said. “We should publicly talk about how important nuclear power plants’ roles are for national energy security and how much safety measures should be put to work." In addition, the KHNP Union started a campaign to demand members of the board of directors resign after posting banners against the results of the board meeting on July 17.
Meanwhile, it is said that the board of directors of KHNP, which decided to temporarily suspend the construction of Shin Kori Nuclear Power Plant No. 5 and No. 6, voted for the temporary suspension on condition that it will not agree on the permanent suspension on July 14.