This file photo shows Shin Hanul nuclear reactors in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, on May 22, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Korean college students majoring in nuclear energy-related studies turned upward last year amid the incumbent government’s policy to reverse the nuclear phase-out policy of the previous administration, a government report said Wednesday.
According to the report by the Ministry of Science and ICT, 2,229 students were studying nuclear engineering and other relevant fields in 2022, up 64 from a year earlier.
The number peaked at 2,777 in 2017 but fell four straight years to 2,165 in 2021.
The rebound came as President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to revive the nuclear power industry and turn it into a key export sector, scrapping the nuclear phase-out policy by former President Moon Jae-in.
The report also showed that the local nuclear energy industry is expected to generate 2,948 jobs by 2026 to meet rising demand for new nuclear power plant projects in the coming future.
Nuclear power plant designing and construction companies will need a workforce of 1,187 over the five-year period, and those in the nuclear plant operation and management field are expected to hire 837 workers.
Nuclear power generates about 30 percent of South Korea’s electricity.
Currently, 19 out of the country’s 25 nuclear reactors are operational, with six under maintenance, according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., the operator of the reactors in South Korea.
(Yonhap)
