South Korea’s new climate minister Kim Sung-hwan has reignited debate over the country’s nuclear policy, saying the country should use nuclear power as a form of “supplementary energy source”, a remark that appears to diverge from President Lee Jae-myung’s recent signals to halt new reactor projects.
Kim, who has been leading the country’s newly-established climate ministry since 1 October, surprised industry observers as he has been accused of being a “hardline” advocate for nuclear phase-out due to his previous remarks allegedly opposing the construction and export of nuclear power plants.
“I am not an anti-nuclear activist, but rather a decarbonisation advocate,” said Kim during South Korea’s annual parliamentary audit on 14 October.
“Given the characteristics of our country, it would be best to maintain a balanced approach by using nuclear power as a form of supplementary energy source,” he added, without elaborating.
South Korea currently operates 25 nuclear reactors, and these facilities together account for roughly one-third of the nation’s total electricity consumption, according to a research firm GlobalData.
Kim’s remarks came after President Lee used his 100th-day press conference on 11 September to reaffirm his push for renewable energy development while signalling he would not back the construction of new nuclear plants.
Lee also said that building a nuclear reactor typically takes at least 15 years, whereas large-scale solar and wind projects can be completed within one to two years, which makes renewables the only realistic option to meet growing energy demand.
At the time, Lee’s comments were widely viewed as an attempt by his government to steer away from nuclear energy.
Fresh doubt
Kim’s latest remarks, however, cast fresh doubt on the government’s stance, underscoring South Korea’s haphazard approach to nuclear policy.
Under the Moon Jae-in administration between 2017 and 2022, for instance, Seoul pursued a nuclear phase-out policy.
Moon ordered the permanent closure of the Kori-1 reactor, halted new construction, and pledged to gradually retire existing reactors as they reached the end of their lifespans, saying the move was part of a broader transition toward renewables and public safety.
That direction changed sharply under previous President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in 2022 and sought to restore nuclear energy as a key pillar of South Korea’s power mix.
Yoon scrapped Moon’s plan, resumed stalled projects, and aimed to raise nuclear’s share of the electricity supply while promoting reactor exports as part of South Korea’s high-tech industrial strategy.
Uncertainty ahead
Without clear directions from the new administration, attention has now turned to the two new nuclear reactors outlined in South Korea’s 11th Basic Plan on Electricity Supply and Demand, which runs through 2038.
The plan, finalised earlier this year under the previous government, calls for the construction of two large reactors – each with a capacity of roughly 1.4 GW – alongside a small demonstration modular reactor project scheduled for the mid-2030s.
But climate minister Kim told local media in early October that the government will “gather” public opinion before deciding whether to proceed with the construction, suggesting that the current government could reconsider, or even scrap, the plan.
When pressed at the parliamentary audit to clarify those comments, Kim declined to give a direct answer but again implied that the plan could be subject to change.
“Respecting the existing plan is part of my responsibility as a public official executing policy. We will reflect appropriate changes in the process of drafting the 12th Basic Plan,” he said.
