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| Fig. 1: List of Korea Electric Power Corporation subsidiaries (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
South Korea successfully utilized nuclear energy for industrial development in the late 20th century. The construction of South Korea's first nuclear power plant, Plant 1, began in 1970 and was completed in 1978. Plant 2 and Plant 3 were completed in 1983; fully nine nuclear plants were operating before 1990. In 1996, eleven nuclear plants generated 9.6 GWe, which amounts to 36 percent of the total electricity generated in the same year. Since South Korea lacks natural resources necessary for power generation, such as fossil fuel, nuclear energy has been a major factor of South Korea's rapid industrial development since the late 1970s. Nuclear power plants backed South Korea's GDP growth, which occurred at 8.6 percent annually from 1970 to 1990, because export industries were heavily reliant on energy supply. [1]
Researchers have argued that greater state involvement in the economy is conducive to the success of nuclear energy programs. South Korea, Japan, and France are examples of nations ideologically committed to nuclear plants. [2] The military regime that spearheaded South Koreas economic growth starting from the late 1960s was highly authoritarian and conservative. South Korea planned on adopting nuclear plants in 1968; following that decision, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) was authorized to proceed with a nuclear plant construction project. [1] South Korea's export-driven industries, including heavy chemical industry and manufacturing industry, have required massive amounts of electricity (see Fig. 1). In hindsight, the nuclear energy program has effectively supported South Korea's industrial growth.
Civil movements opposing the construction of nuclear plants in South Korea have been unable to stop the government from building new plants, thereby making the nation heavily reliant on nuclear energy. Even now, the opposition's power to block South Korea's expanding nuclear program is limited, due to the centralized political system. [2] Activists have opposed the nuclear energy program because of the massive threat it poses to the environment, for example in the cases of Fukushima and Chernobyl. South Korea also stands close to the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means large-magnitude earthquakes might occur near nuclear plants. However, South Korea's conservatives favor nuclear energy on the grounds that forfeiting nuclear plants would result in economic decline. [3]
In conclusion, South Korea's successful implementation of its nuclear energy program had made significant contributions to economic growth. The nation was in dire need of a new source for electricity in addition to the enormous amounts of fossil fuel, such as coal, petroleum products, and natural gas, it had already been importing at a high price. Electricity usage in South Korea, between 1980 and 2005, increased at a surprising rate of 9.6%, which far exceeds the annual growth rate of 7.8% in real gross domestic product during the same period [3] The proponents of nuclear energy have a point in that it is unrealistic for South Korea to abandon nuclear energy program, when the demand for electricity will soar even more in the future. In 2018, 23 nuclear reactors in South Korea created 20.5 GWe in total. Since the population of South Korea is 51.8 million, nuclear power generated (20.5 GWe) / (51.8 million people) = 395.7 Watts per person. Power consumption per capita in South Korea is 1109 Watts per person, and 35.7% of electrical power consumption is dependent on nuclear energy.
© Dahee Chung. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] C.-S. Sung and S.-K. Hong, "Development Process of Nuclear Power Industry in a Developing Country: Korean Experience and Implications," Technovation 19, 305 (1999).
[2] S. V. Valentine and B. K. Sovacool, "The Socio-Political Economy of Nuclear Power Development in Japan and South Korea," Energy Policy 38, 7971 (2010).
[3] S.-H. Yoo and T.-H. Yoo, "The Role of the Nuclear Power Generation in the Korean National Economy: An Input-Output Analysis," Prog. Nucl. Energy 51, 86 (2009).
