Nuclear safety watchdog under fire for submitting inaccurate data to parliament

Nuclear safety watchdog under fire for submitting inaccurate data to parliament. September. 12, 2015 07:17. .

The Korea Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has been disgraced for submitting inaccurate data that include wrong calculations of simple addition at parliamentary inspection of the government.

At an audit session of the NSSC by the Science, ICT, Future Planning, Broadcasting and Communications Committee on Friday, Rep. Cho Hae-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party said, “I received data on situation of accidents and breakdowns of nuclear power plants for the last five years (2011 – 2015) in Korea, and they were completely inaccurate and impossible to understand.” The materials Cho received had inaccurate figures for number cases and total tallies by year of accidents at as many as 12 nuclear power plants, or half of the 24 nuclear power plants in Korea. The numbers of accidents and breakdowns were mostly single digits but were calculated inaccurately nonetheless.

As for Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant 1, there was no accident or breakdown by year, and but the total was suggested as one case. As for Gori Plant 1, the number of cases was one each during 2011 – 2013, but the total was not marked as three but four. As a result, the grand totals of numbers of accidents and breakdowns were different at 54 by year and 79 by nuclear power plant. Rep. Cho said, “It is doubtful even the statistical data itself is accurate or not,” adding, “I can hardly understand, since the agency would send such data to the government, the presidential office and related organizations, and analyze causes and seek countermeasures internally.”

Opposition party lawmakers also raised voices of criticism. Rep. Song Ho-chang of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy said, “I received data on NSSC’s employees who were given disciplinary actions over the past three years, and I received sloppier data than that other lawmakers who had demanded the same data acquired,” adding, “I expect one employee would have drafted and reported the same data, and it is ridiculous that data on employees who were disciplined presented to different lawmakers’ offices are incompatible with each other.” Lawmakers also said, “I dialed an NSSC office on the eve of the inspection session, but no body replied,” and, “I demanded materials, but have not received any at all,” in blasting the nuclear safety watchdog.

NSSC Chairman Lee Eun-cheol apologized to lawmakers, saying, “I am speechless. I will investigate how such a mistake has happened.”