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Korea approves decommissioning of Kori-1, its first commercial nuclear reactor

Published: 26 Jun. 2025, 19:11 Updated: 26 Jun. 2025, 19:21

A citizen looks at the Kori-1 nuclear reactor, Korea's first commercial nuclear power plant, in Busan on June 26. [NEWS1]

The decommissioning of Korea’s first nuclear power reactor, Kori-1, has been approved, marking the first time a commercial reactor will be dismantled in the country.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) convened its 216th general meeting on Thursday and approved the decommissioning plan for the Kori-1 reactor. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) had submitted the final decommissioning plan and related documents to the commission in May 2021. Thursday's approval came three years after the NSSC began its full review in January 2022.

"We reached the decision after reviewing safety assessments from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and prior evaluations by our own technical advisory committee," NSSC said Thursday. "KHNP’s application met the criteria outlined in Article 41-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Nuclear Safety Act."

With the approval finalized, KHNP will officially begin dismantling Kori-1. It comes 53 years after the plant received construction approval in 1972 and eight years after it was permanently shut down in 2017. Kori-1 began commercial operation on April 29, 1978. It is a 587-megawatt pressurized water reactor — the first of its kind in Korea.

What’s next?

KHNP expects the decommissioning to be completed by 2037 — 12 years from now. The company began preliminary work in May last year by initiating chemical decontamination to remove radioactive materials from the site.

Following Thursday’s approval, non-radiological facilities will be dismantled and used fuel will be removed through 2031. From then until 2035, KHNP plans to decontaminate and dismantle contaminated zones and dispose of radioactive waste. The final two years will be spent restoring the site.

The estimated total cost is 1.0713 trillion won ($789.7 million), including 808.8 billion won for decommissioning operations and 252.5 billion won for waste disposal.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) approves the decommissioning plan for the Kori-1 reactor during its 216th general meeting held on June 26 in central Seoul. [NEWS1]

What does Korea gain?

Industry experts say the dismantling of Kori-1 marks Korea’s formal entry into the nuclear decommissioning market.

As of May, only four countries — the United States, Germany, Japan and Switzerland — had decommissioned reactors. Of the 25 reactors that have been dismantled globally, the majority are located in the United States, while Germany has three, and Japan and Switzerland each have one. Except for the United States, these were mostly small-scale experimental or research reactors, not commercial reactors like Kori-1.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, as of the end of 2022, 204 reactors worldwide had been permanently shut down, but only 21 had completed decommissioning — just 10 percent.

If Korea successfully demonstrates its decommissioning technologies on an actual commercial reactor, it could emerge as a global leader in a market estimated to be worth 500 trillion won. Korea has already developed 96 core technologies for decommissioning nuclear power plants. KHNP holds 58 and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute holds 38.

“Decommissioning is the final stage in the nuclear power cycle,” said Chung Bum-jin, a nuclear engineering professor at Kyung Hee University. “It is significant because it means Korea now possesses comprehensive nuclear technology.”

The Kori-1 nuclear reactor, Korea's first commercial nuclear power plant, in Busan on June 26 [YONHAP]

Remaining challenges

The issue of used nuclear fuel remains unresolved.

Currently, Kori-1’s used fuel is stored in a wet storage pool at the plant. Korea has yet to establish a dry storage facility or a permanent disposal site.

A dry storage facility is expected to receive construction approval next year and be completed by 2031. A permanent repository is scheduled to be completed by 2060 under the Special Act on the Management of High-Level Radioactive Waste. The intermediate storage facility, which is needed beforehand, is scheduled for 2050, but site selection and local acceptance remain unresolved.

“If an intermediate storage facility is established by 2050 as planned, the used fuel will be immediately removed from the Kori site,” a KHNP official said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM NAM-YOUNG [[email protected]]