▲ Choi Won-ho, Chairperson of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, answers questions during a parliamentary audit.
Choi Won-ho, Chairperson of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), stated regarding the workforce for Small Modular Reactor (SMR) regulation, "It is currently handled by seven people in a single temporary division, and we need a workforce equivalent to at least one bureau level."
Chairperson Choi made the remarks during the NSSC parliamentary audit held by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee at the National Assembly main building today (October 13), in response to an inquiry by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Nam-guk regarding the size of the dedicated regulatory organization.
He said, "We have been making efforts with related administrative agencies since last year, but there are realistic limitations," adding, "Although five more staff members will be added next year as an official division, it is still an insufficient number."
Currently, the only dedicated department for SMR licensing and standards within the NSSC is the Small Modular Reactor Safety Division, which is a temporary organization.
Recently, the review for the standard design approval of the innovative SMR (i-SMR), a light-water SMR, has begun, and applications for light-water and non-light-water SMRs by domestic and foreign developers are also scheduled in line with the pre-review system to be introduced next month.
According to data submitted to the National Assembly, the NSSC's position is that the necessary workforce related to SMRs should increase by 33 people equivalent to one bureau unit in 2027, 37 people in 2028, and 39 people from 2029 to 2030.
The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), which is in charge of technical reviews, also stated that it is facing a shortage of personnel.
Lim Seung-chul, President of KINS, stated, "Considering the expansion of tasks through 2035, we have determined that an addition of 180 people is necessary," and added, "In particular, for non-light-water SMRs, we estimate that about 100 people need to be added over the next 10 years."
During the parliamentary audit that day, points were also raised that the review speed for nuclear reactors awaiting license renewal reviews should be accelerated.
In response to an inquiry by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Hwang Jung-ah asking why the license renewal review speed is lagging, Chairperson Choi said, "The cause is that applications were made late, leading to 10 units applying all at once," adding, "It is somewhat overwhelming for the review staff to handle all of them at once."
He stated, "While thoroughly verifying safety, we will diligently oversee the review process so that ongoing reviews are not unnecessarily delayed," and added, "We will also work hard to communicate closely with operators to proactively identify pending issues and discuss solutions in advance."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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