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‘Gov’t respects the committee’s decision,’ says Cheong Wa Dae

‘Gov’t respects the committee’s decision,’ says Cheong Wa Dae

Posted October. 21, 2017 07:46,   

Updated October. 21, 2017 08:06

한국어

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday that it would respect the Public Opinion Committee’s recommendation to resume the construction of Shin Kori No. 5 and No. 6 reactors.

“We respect the will of the committee and its recommendations to the government after three months of deliberation. The government will take steps to faithfully follow the committee’s recommendations,” presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said shortly after the decision was announced on Friday. “(We) deeply thank the committee for conducting a fair survey and the panel of citizens for reaching a social consensus.”

The government will make a final decision on the nuclear reactors and discuss follow-up measures at the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday. Also, President Moon Jae-in will soon deliver his message on the committee’s recommendations.

Rather than focusing on a fact that the committee’s decision put the brakes on President Moon’s campaign pledge to “stop construction of Shin Kori No. 5 and No. 6 reactors,” Cheong Wa Dae put a greater emphasis on the survey result that the country should reduce its reliance on nuclear energy and the model of “deliberative democracy,” which was practiced during the decision-making process. It was President Moon who suggested the government-organized committee to make a decision on the resumption of the two nuclear power plants.

“The committee’s decision-making process has demonstrated that deliberative democracy can be used as a new model of managing social conflicts,” said a senior official at Cheong Wa Dae. “Such a model will be more utilized in the future.”

“(The government) will consider all of the committee’s decisions, not only the one to resume construction of Shin Kori No. 5 and No. 6 reactors but also the one to reduce nuclear power and increase the share of renewable energy,” Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon commented.



Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com