N. Korean priests want nuclear plant plan scrapped
(April 04, 2011) Catholic priests in Wonju diocese in South Korea have urged the
government to scrap a plan to build new nuclear power plants. The Presbyterate in
Samcheok in Wonju Diocese in the east issued a statement on April 1 and asked the
government to stop planning to build additional nuclear power plants on the east coast
which is most vulnerable to earthquake and tsunami. Korea is now operating 21 nuclear
power plants commercially. But the government is building or planning 13 more, including
four in Samcheok, 190 kilometers southwest of Seoul. Father Paul Park Hong-pyo, representative
of the priests, said the recent Fukushima disaster, following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster,
has warned that all nuclear power plants have the potential of causing a major disaster.
He said the government should abandon its plan to increase the number of nuclear power
stations. Citing the recent survey conducted by an online daily, he said 56.7 percent
of Samcheok city’s population oppose the plan. Father Park has been celebrating a
Mass for a nuke-free world in the city’s downtown every Wednesday. In their statement,
the priests also warned that the government’s attempt to extend the life of a nuclear
power plant to 40 to 60 years beyond the normal 30 years, would be only inviting a
repeat of the Fukushima disaster.