Abstract
Due to the fact that the temporary spent fuel storage facilities in nuclear power plants will reach full capacity in the near future, the disposal of spent nuclear waste has become a matter of great concern in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). This article discusses the current status and limits of the Korean nuclear waste storage policy and governance. Considering the ecological and social impact of radioactivity, there is a compelling need for a nuclear waste governance system based on a social consensus on nuclear waste disposal. However, the participation of citizens and stakeholders in the decision-making process and their access to nuclear related information were restricted. Successive governments introduced legal and institutional instruments to do more to engage the public on spent fuel storage after a series of failed attempts to select a nuclear waste repository site. However, anti-nuclear non-governmental organisations (NGOs) refused to participate in this government-led public discussion and criticized it for being a mere formality. There are signs of change since the election of Moon Jae-In as president in the spring of 2017. Moon’s government initiated a major shift in Korea’s energy policy as well as in the policy-making process. Moon’s government has sought input from the public and NGOs in nuclear-related questions and is promoting more openness and transparency.
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Leem, SJ., Schreurs, M.A. (2018). Transitioning Away from Opaque Governance. In: Brunnengräber, A., Di Nucci, M., Isidoro Losada, A., Mez, L., Schreurs, M. (eds) Challenges of Nuclear Waste Governance . Energiepolitik und Klimaschutz. Energy Policy and Climate Protection. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-21441-8_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-21441-8_4
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