Nineteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

In 2018, former president of South Korea Moon Jae-in made a ‘nuclear phase-out policy’. He insisted on stopping new nuclear power plant construction plans, halting the extension of the lifespan of old nuclear power plants, shutting down Wolsung Unit 1, and halting construction of Singori Units 5 and 6, with the goal of ‘zero nuclear power’. He announced that the share of nuclear power will be reduced from 30% to 18% by 2030, but LNG would increase from 20% to 37% and renewable energy from 5% to 20%. In 2022, the new president Yoon Seok-yeol declared the abolition of the Moon government’s nuclear-free policy. The new government said, “the renewable energy is important, but we plan to present a new energy mix on how to harmonize it with nuclear power.” Contrary to the demands of the international community to expand renewable energy for carbon neutrality, Yoon is pushing for restart and expansion of nuclear power plants. Some citizens oppose the new government’s energy policy of abandoning the ‘zero nuclear plan’, but others welcome it. Some argue that we cannot give up a nuclear power plant with a large output compared to the input. Others argue that nuclear power is by no means cheap energy, and call for a reminder of the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents. Solving energy and climate problem requires a healthy civil society as much as democratic government, and to this end, global citizenship education for future humanity is necessary as much as the interests of the country.