More reactor parts added to blacklist

Parts issued with counterfeit certification were used in two more nuclear reactors, Gori-3 and Gori-4, the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea (BAI) said yesterday.

Some parts used in a water cooling system that controls the temperature of the reactors have fallen short of safety standards, triggering fears that the country may be vulnerable to a similar meltdown that occurred when a tsunami battered the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan early last year.

Two local parts suppliers, Kang Jin Heavy Industries and Yusung Industrial, were found to have fabricated the quality certifications of 966 parts used at the two reactors in Busan, according to the report by the BAI.

The news comes just a month after parts used at three other reactors in Yeonggwang and Uljin power plants were found to have had parts with fabricated certifications. One of the two suppliers also colluded to keep a low bidding price for its parts, according to the BAI.

By Lee Sun-min [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]