[Editorial] Over 60% of the public supports nuclear power plants; construction must begin quickly

Public opinion is leaning in favor of building new nuclear power plants, according to data released on the 21st. In a survey conducted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, 32.5% of respondents in the Gallup Korea poll and 43.1% in the Realmeter poll said nuclear power plant construction "must definitely go ahead." Those who answered that it "should preferably go ahead" accounted for 37.0% and 18.8%, respectively. In other words, more than six out of ten respondents supported construction.
These results align with President Lee Jae Myung’s earlier indirect remark that public support for nuclear power plant construction is "overwhelming." The new nuclear projects, consisting of two large reactors and one Small Modular Reactor (SMR), are already included in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, finalized in February last year.
This survey does not amount to a final decision to proceed with nuclear power plant construction. The procedure is not fully complete, as the respondents were limited to adults aged 18 and older. However, if a follow-up survey with a broader sample were to produce results that diverge from these findings, it would only create greater confusion. For that reason, the government is expected to move toward resuming nuclear power plant projects that have been put on hold.
The government should not waste more time and must quickly begin the construction process, including site selection. The 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand assumes a construction period of 13 years and 11 months for large nuclear plants. Even if work starts immediately, completion would not come until 2039. That timeline makes it nearly impossible to keep pace with the build-out of power-hungry advanced technology infrastructure, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the semiconductor industry. Every moment counts.
In terms of production cost and environmental impact, there is no better power source than nuclear energy. Nuclear power is widely recognized as a generation method that emits almost no carbon. The European Union (EU) has included nuclear power in its Green Taxonomy. Our own government has made a similar announcement. Nuclear energy is therefore the most suitable source not only from an economic standpoint but also for achieving carbon neutrality.
Countries around the world are actively pursuing nuclear power plant construction on this basis. The United States and China are obvious examples, and several European nations that once pursued nuclear phase-out policies, such as Germany, are now returning to nuclear power plant projects. In contrast, South Korea lost five years under the Moon Jae-in administration because of its nuclear phase-out policy. The resulting national damage was truly immense.
Such misjudgments and misguided policies must never be repeated. The latest survey results simply reflect what citizens think, based on scientific evidence and foreign examples. It is time to put an end to the wasteful disputes over nuclear power policy. We must clearly recognize that the costs of nuclear phase-out ultimately come back to the public in the form of higher electricity bills and other burdens.
To achieve carbon neutrality, it is unavoidable that we expand renewable energy as well. However, as coal-fired power plants are phased out, the surging demand for electricity cannot be met by renewables alone. If we neglect to secure sufficient generation capacity, we could even face a nationwide blackout. The public is well aware of this risk. The mere thought is alarming. Even if such a crisis does not occur, the likelihood of a "bomb" of soaring electricity rates is very high if we fail to build new nuclear power plants.