“Let’s Stop Building Nuclear Power Plants That Stake Residents’ Lives” Posted in The Korean Times.
Street Mass and National Rally to Oppose New Nuclear Power Plants by Catholic Climate Action, Catholic Solidarity for the Preservation of Creation, and others participating in the national rally to oppose new nuclear power plants marched to the Blue House on June 27.
After Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) selected sites for new nuclear power plants and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), the Diocese of Andong and various Catholic environmental groups immediately voiced their opposition and demanded the withdrawal of the site selections. They urged a halt to the construction plans, citing concerns about nuclear waste, SMR safety, and the hasty nature of the site selection process.
On June 27, Catholic environmental groups—including Catholic Climate Action and the Catholic Solidarity for the Preservation of Creation—held a “Street Mass to Oppose New Nuclear Power Plants” in Seoul.
In his homily, Father Yang pointed out that the government is acting as a mouthpiece for the nuclear power industry. He stated, “Despite historical evidence confirming that the risks of nuclear power plants and the management of high-level nuclear waste are beyond human technological control, the government is pushing ahead with the construction of new nuclear power plants under the pretext of carbon-free energy to combat the climate crisis.” He further urged the faithful to join the transition toward a nuclear-free society as apostles of ecology.
Following the Mass, a nationwide rally organized by the "National Emergency Action to Stop New Nuclear Power Plants" was held. Participants marched to the Blue House, chanting, “Stop building nuclear power plants; withdraw the site selection!” A married couple who participated in the march—an environmental activist and their two children —said, “My children already know that nuclear power plants are dangerous from reading books about the Fukushima disaster.” She added, “I joined this march to show them just how dangerous it is to build additional nuclear power plants.”
Meanwhile, on June 22, the Social Pastoral Council of the Diocese of Andong (comprising the Catholic Farmers Movement and committees for Ecology and Environment, Justice and Peace, National Reconciliation, and Migrant Pastoral Care) celebrated a “Mass for Life and Peace in a Nuclear-Free World” at Yeongdeok Catholic Church, presided over by the Chairperson of the Diocese of Andong’s Ecology and Environment Committee).
Addressing current issues—such as the hastily conducted site selection process, the lack of alternatives for nuclear waste disposal, and the unverified safety of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)—“I cannot understand how the current government has simply adopted the previous administration’s nuclear power plant construction plans without correcting them.” During the Mass, the Council for Social Pastoral Care issued a statement titled "Immediately Withdraw the Selection of Sites for New Large-Scale Nuclear Power Plants and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) That Hold Residents' Lives Hostage." They criticized the move, stating, "Introducing SMR technology—whose economic viability and safety remain unproven—alongside existing nuclear plants is nothing short of cruel violence that tramples on local democracy and disregards safety." They further urged, "The present administration must break away from past misguided practices and establish a just energy policy that prioritizes life above all else."
