Environment Minister Nominee Kim Sungwhan: "Permit Continued Operation of Nuclear Plants... Expand Renewables by Over 10GW Annually"

by Kang Heejong

Published 15 Jul.2025 17:06(KST)

Kim Sungwhan, nominee for Minister of Environment, is responding to committee members' questions at the Personnel Hearing held by the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on the 15th. 2025.7.15 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Kim Sungwhan, nominee for Minister of Environment, stated his position that while renewable energy should be at the center of the transition to a decarbonized society, nuclear power should also be actively utilized if safety can be ensured. He also emphasized the need to redefine the role of public power generation companies in light of the closure of coal-fired power plants.

At the personnel hearing for the Minister of Environment nominee held on the 15th, Kim responded to a question from Kim Wisang, a member of the People Power Party, regarding his current stance on nuclear power, referencing his past remarks that "nuclear phase-out is the trend." Kim explained, "Those remarks were made at the time of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident," and added, "Now, as the climate crisis has become more severe, the global trend is to focus on renewables but also to actively utilize nuclear power if safety can be ensured."

Kim stated, "The challenge is to reduce the intermittency of renewables and the risks of nuclear power," adding, "The principle of South Korea's energy policy is to appropriately combine renewables and nuclear power." He explained, "During the Moon Jae-in administration, it was decided to shut down nuclear plants that had reached the end of their design life, but now the policy has shifted to allow continued operation if safety is secured," thus expressing his support for continued operation of nuclear power plants.

Kim further noted, "The 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand has confirmed the construction of two new large-scale nuclear plants," and said, "We will make active efforts to ensure that South Korea transitions rapidly to a decarbonized society by rationally combining renewables and nuclear power."

Although Kim emphasized a rational energy mix of renewables and nuclear power, the focus of the hearing that day was on the expansion of renewables.

He stated, "Under the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) set during the Moon Jae-in administration, the share of renewable energy generation for 2030 was set at 27.7%, but the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand lowered the target to 18.8%," adding, "We must quickly raise the share of renewables." He further said, "Even if it is impossible to reach 27.7%, we must at least get as close as possible," and emphasized, "We need to increase renewable energy capacity by more than 10 gigawatts (GW) per year."

Kim Sungwhan also reiterated the necessity of establishing a Ministry of Climate and Energy, a pledge by President Lee Jaemyung. He explained, "The Ministry of Environment holds policy tools such as the NDC and the Emissions Trading Scheme, but the means of implementation are divided among ministries such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy," and added, "If a single department were to handle both policy and implementation, I believe it would be possible to reduce carbon emissions efficiently and foster related industries." He also stated, "If I am appointed as minister, I will work with the Presidential Office and the National Policy Planning Committee to draft an initial proposal for the Ministry of Climate and Energy."

Kim also agreed on the need to strengthen the status of the Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Commission (CNGGC), for example by having the president serve as chair and appointing a full-time secretary general. Currently, the CNGGC is co-chaired by the prime minister and a private-sector expert, with the second vice minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination serving concurrently as secretary general.

Kim emphasized that this is a crucial time for the five power generation companies to transition into renewable energy-centered enterprises, and stressed the need to restructure the business model of public power generation companies, which have traditionally focused on coal power. He also warned that artificially splitting Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) could cause new problems, and stated, "It is desirable to maintain the current system while restructuring the power grid for the era of distributed energy."