Before talking about new nuclear power plants, respond to 'Naari's 12 years' [Because]

On August 25, 2014, residents of Naari, a village in Gyeongsangbuk-do's Gyongju, built a barricade in front of the Wangyeong nuclear power plant, demanding they be moved to a safer location. They continued to keep the barricades for 12 years, often carrying their names on paper and walking in front of the plant on Mondays. The government never seemed to take the request seriously, even former President Moon Jae-in searched for Wangyeong before becoming president, and former Member of Parliament Kim Sung-hwan even visited the villagers during his time in the national assembly.

Many well-known figures have come to the area, and the national assembly has passed laws to support the villagers' relocation efforts. However, the villagers' lives have not changed.

South Korea's current nuclear safety law, which has protected citizens for 12 years, now questions whether it has adequately protected their safety. The limited exclusion zone around Units 1-4 of the plant, with a radius of 914m, restricts general access and living within it, along with regulations for compensation. Yet, Naari is right on this border.

A single line on the map becomes the boundary between danger and anxiety. Villagers have been exposed to tritium and have suffered health issues like thyroid cancer, leading to ongoing litigation. The debate continues over whether there is a causal relationship between these health issues and the plant.

Despite these concerns, the government has ignored the long-standing problems of the existing nuclear power sites and recently confirmed the construction of a new large-scale nuclear power plant in Gyeongsangbuk-do's Yeongdeok. This is despite the fact that the area currently has no operating nuclear power plants. Yeongdeok was previously proposed for a nuclear plant but abandoned due to strong opposition from villagers.

The government's decision to build a new nuclear plant in Yeongdeok means that the lives, land, and future of the community will be determined by the choices made by those who make the decisions. Recent "3 Major Mega Projects" are being used as justification for the increasing demand for new nuclear power plants.

Since power demand projections change rapidly, the decision to build and operate nuclear power plants will have implications that last for decades, even centuries. When considering the disposal of spent nuclear fuel, the responsibility of the decision becomes hundreds of thousands of years long. The villagers' requests for relocation have been unanswered for 12 years, while the government and industry present their power demand projections for just a few months, determining the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of years.

If one truly calls themselves a "national government of the people," they cannot ignore this question. The government must answer before deciding on new nuclear power plants, especially regarding the responsibility for the lives of existing nuclear power plant residents in the vicinity.