정부, "원전해체산업을 원전산업의 새로운 먹거리로"...전문가 의견은?

South Korean government has recently revealed its ambitious plan to foster the nuclear decommissioning industry.
This refers to the process of dismantling nuclear facilities until it no longer requires measures for radiation protection.
But not everyone is optimistic.
Our Ko Roon-hee tells us more.
In Korea, the idea of "nuclear decommissioning," as a business,... emerged in 2017... when the Kori 1 reactor, located in a suburban village in Busan, was permanently shut down.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been pushing for a "nuclear phase-out" approach... and has called the shutdown an opportunity to accumulate know-how.
So, what are some opportunities in the field?
The Korean government says... the nuclear decommissioning market is expected to grow from mid 2020s around the world.
According to data from Bates White, an economic consulting firm, the market is expected to grow to around 105-point-6 billion U.S. dollars by 2030... and keep growing beyong the 2050s.
The ministry not only says it will monitor the growing demand for nuclear decommissioning... but has also laid out specific plans to grow the industry.
The ministry said it will set up research centers in Korea... to carry out R&D and train skilled manpower for the future.
Other plans include financial support for companies specializing in nuclear decommissioning.
Also, communicating with foreign companies and defining safety standards.
Despite the ambitious plan, some experts are skeptical.
"Let's take a look at the trend of using nuclear power plants around the globe. Many are extending the plants' operating lives. For instance, the normal initial operating permit is about 40 years, but an additional 20 years are added. So the number of nuclear power plants subject to decommissioning might decrease."
"For this "decommissioning" to be an industry, there must be project after project. But if there aren't projects for lets say, 10 years, there is no way to maintain the manpower. And you can't make Korea decommission its nuclear plants just to make this plan work."
Experts agree that in the long run, new technologies related to decommissioning are needed.
In the mean time, though, they say the research centers should focus on projects like using robots to do dangerous decontamination work remotely.
Ko Roon-hee, Arirang News.