동북아 지역협력체를 통한 원자력 발전소 건설의 전망과 과제

Regional Cooperation of Nuclear Power Plant Construction in Northeast Asia: Prospects and Challenges

There has been a distinct revival of interest in nuclear energy in the world, although the energy has been differently treated by law in the recent decades: Firstly, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the energy had been viewed primarily as one in which the law was an instrument for the promotion of the peaceful use of nuclear power. A second phase, commencing roughly from the time of the Chernobyl accident in 1986, has been featured by the use of law as a source of constraint with concerns about safety. The most recent phase is one in which a cautious rebalancing between the promotion and constraint of the nuclear energy appears to be taking place. The trends of constructing nuclear power plant, as a useful tool of converting the nuclear energy into electricity, have directly reflected the above three phases. If nuclear power is to contribute in significant ways to meeting future energy demands, four issues facing the nuclear power must be addressed: (1) technology related to the management of nuclear waste and nuclear safety; (2) consideration of nuclear non-proliferation; (3) economic competitiveness of nuclear power; (4) legal and institutional framework regarding nuclear power. The concerns noted above are best addressed first through technological advances, and then through legal commitments, and finally through administrative means, including regulatory or verification arrangements where appropriate. Handling ways of the four interrelated issues are different for different region. This paper reviews the major issues to future nuclear power and discusses the need and possibility for regional cooperation, mainly among China, Japan, Korea. in ensuring efficient use of nuclear power.