Friday, February 20, 2009

Hillary Clinton, South Korea & Nuclear Power

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited South Korea this week stopping in Seoul to dicuss North Korea, climate change and trade issues. Yet North Korea complicates the constructive use of nuclear power by being provocative. The North detonated a low-yield nuclear device in October 2006. That device was developed through the reprocessing of plutonium. Yet North Korea allows inspections of its nuclear facilities to get removed from Washington's list of nations that sponsor terrorism and then they renege. Unfortunately, these actions hurt programs such as the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), which promotes the international peaceful use of commercial nuclear power.

South Korea has four commercial nuclear power stations that contain 20 reactors with six reactors under construction that will come on line between 2010 and 2016 and two more planned. About 45% of South Korea's electricity is produced using nuclear power. (Wiki)

The Center hopes the Obama administration will continue with the GNEP Program. The Center participated in a Korea broadcasting program to discuss nuclear power. Center President Norris McDonald is interviewed for the program "Science Cafe," about the pending Nuclear Renaissance. The interview was conducted by a Korean production crew on December 1, 2007. See the video below:


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