Address by President Lee Myung-bak at High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security September 22, 2011

Mr. Secretary-General,

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

I wish to express my appreciation for this opportunity to offer some reflections on the peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy. I hope todays meeting will also be of significant contribution to the discussions on nuclear safety at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in March next year.

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear PowerPlant last March dealt a hard blow to confidence in nuclear safety. However, I do not think that this accident should be cause to renounce nuclear energy; on the contrary, this is a moment to seek ways to promote the safe use of nuclear energy based on scientific evidence.

I am not saying that nuclear energy is the only option to solving future energy problems. Efforts should be stepped up to promote other alternatives such as renewable energy. Yet the use of nuclear energy is inevitable as there still remain technical and economic limits for alternative energy to meet the rapidly rising global energy demand or to tackle the problem of climate change.

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

Whilst

nuclear and

energy clean

has

the

advantages source, it is

of

being

an

inexpensive

energy

with

greater

confidence in its safety that it can be more widely used. To this end, it is important that each country establishes a rigorous nuclear safety framework. International cooperation and coordination led by the IAEA also need to be promoted.

In this regard, the Republic of Korea welcomes the efforts by the IAEA to strengthen the international nuclear safety

framework, notably by establishing global norms on nuclear

safety such as the Convention on Nuclear Safety, setting the IAEA Safety Standards, providing IAEA peer reviews, and

creating a network of experts.

We also welcome the IAEA Action Plan for the promotion of nuclear safety and emergency preparedness which builds upon the IAEA Ministerial Conference in June.The Republic of Korea will render full support for its implementation.

I would like to emphasize the following three points for the enhancement of nuclear safety for the future.

First,

each

country

should

have

an

independent

safety

regulatory framework.While a nuclear accident is rare, a single mistake can bring about disastrous outcomes. Institutional arrangements are therefore needed to secure safety before pursuing economy. To this end, the Government of the

Republic of Korea plans to launch a Presidential Commission on Nuclear Safety and Security this October as an independent agency.

The Republic of Korea was also the first country to host the IAEA IRRS (Integrated Regulatory Review Service) after the accident at Fukushima. The IAEA IRRS team commended Korea's effective regulatory framework, its contribution to the global nuclear safety community, and its adequate response to the Fukushima accident.

Second, utmost transparency should be guaranteed to increase confidence in nuclear energy. Not only should information on nuclear safety be adequately disseminated to the public, but systematic education and training programmes should also be provided to stakeholders to help nurture a culture of

transparency in the nuclear field.

The Republic of Korea established an International Nuclear Safety Schoolto render assistance to countries embarking on a nuclear power programme. The school provides training to safety experts to help them create a regulatory infrastructure and build technological capacity. We are also making efforts to enhance public awareness on nuclear safety through various educational programs. Furthermore, we set up an integrated

information system on nuclear safety to facilitate the publics access to relevant information.

Third, regional cooperation should be strengthened, as a nuclear accident is transnational in nature and could therefore have an enormous impact on neighboring countries and their people. Neighboring countries and their people who may be affected by a nuclear accident should be recognized as important stakeholders and be given full information and consultations so that their trust may be secured. In this vein, it is noteworthy that the Korea-Japan-China Summit last May procured an agreement on strengthening trilateral cooperation in nuclear safety and disaster management.

Distinguished Delegates,

The Republic of Korea currently operates 21 nuclear power plants since it first introduced a nuclear power plant in 1978, with five more under construction. The Republic of Korea puts the utmost emphasis on safety in using nuclear energy; as a result, we have the lowest level of accident and incident rates

in the world. We are investing heavily in developing alternative energy sources. At the same time, we will actively utilize nuclear energy in accordance with our low carbon, green growthpolicy. Furthermore, we are willing to share our

accumulated experience in the construction and safe operation of nuclear power plants with the international community.

We are also keen to contribute to the peaceful use of nuclear energy by leading the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit to a success. Nuclear security, which aims to secure nuclear materials from terrorists, is a prerequisite for all nuclear activities.I look forward to leaders from all over the world gathering in Seoul next March to review progress on the commitments made at the Washington Summit and to reach concrete and action-oriented agreements to guide future

activities. I look forward to the insightful inputs from the leaders and delegations gathered here.

Distinguished Delegates,

Just as the Chernobyl accident in 1986 spurred the global

effort to strengthen the nuclear safety regime, we must learn from the Fukushima accident and redouble our efforts to enhance nuclear safety in keeping up with new technology and demands of the times, and to restore public confidence. With collective effort, I am confident that the international

community can avert large-scale nuclear accidents and ensure that clean and efficient nuclear energy continues to contribute significantly to global economic growth and our efforts against climate change.

Thank you.