Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on the 13th that, despite "various criticisms," the Czech nuclear power plant contract signed after the agreement among Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea Electric Power Corporation and U.S. firm Westinghouse was "a normal contract."
The Minister said at the Trade. Industry Energy. SMEs. and Startups Committee's audit of the ministry at the National Assembly that "any contract has regrettable parts and inevitably has two sides," adding as much.
He noted, "It is meaningful in that we secured a bridgehead for nuclear power in the European market," and added, "Once the new Czech government is launched, talks are also planned for two additional nuclear units. From that perspective, it is a negotiation of some value."
The Minister said, "It is true there is controversy related to Westinghouse, but even within such limits, pushing ahead has been the history of our exports," adding, "When technology was lacking, we overcame it as it was; when price was unfavorable, we overcame it as it was. I hope the Czech nuclear power plant contract will be understood in that context."
He added, "As issues of trust between South Korea and the United States and the nuclear cooperation agreement are intertwined, I hope you will view this with a long breath in terms of the national interest."
Amid criticism that, to clinch the Czech nuclear export under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, KHNP and KEPCO hastily wrapped up an intellectual property (IP) dispute with Westinghouse under unfavorable terms, a fierce clash broke out between the ruling and opposition parties during the audit over whether to disclose the agreement.
The Democratic Party of Korea labeled the agreement "a traitorous contract" and went on the offensive. Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Jin-uk said, "There is testimony that the presidential office at the time scolded KEPCO board members who opposed the terms, and it also came to light that the Minister of Industry said, 'If the Czech nuclear project does not proceed properly, the president could be impeached,'" criticizing it as "a traitorous pact that subordinated Korea's nuclear industry to a foreign company for political purposes."
In response, the People Power Party countered by saying, "Let's just disclose the agreement." Lee Cheol-gyu, a Commissioner from the People Power Party on the committee, said, "The opposition calls for non-disclosure, saying the national interest is at stake, yet still demands disclosure," proposing, "Let's disclose the agreement through a committee vote and settle right and wrong."
The Democratic Party initially demanded materials to ascertain how the agreement came about, then stepped back, saying, "There are Commissioners who say they are satisfied to this extent (with the explanations by the ministry and KHNP)," while the opposition instead urged disclosure, saying, "We must resolve the public's curiosity."
During this process, when Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-a remarked that "the current government is in a position of having to clean up the mess left by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration," People Power Party lawmakers protested, saying, "What do you mean by leaving a mess?" leading to shouting matches and a temporary suspension of the audit.
Even after the audit resumed in the afternoon, the dispute continued over whether to disclose the agreement. The Chairperson said, "This contract has been misrepresented to the public by rumors and speculation," again calling for disclosure, but Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Won-i countered, "As the ruling party, we are responsibly considering a solution that fits the national interest," adding, "It is not that our stance changed just because we became the ruling party, even if we called for disclosure when we were the opposition."
The Minister said, "This is a very sensitive matter in relations between South Korea and the United States, and disclosure of the agreement is not desirable as it could affect tariff negotiations," adding, "(This contract) is a negotiation of value, in my judgment. I ask both parties to view it with a long breath in terms of the national interest."
In the end, the ruling and opposition parties wrapped up the dispute for now by deciding not to vote on whether to disclose the agreement on this day.