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Incheon
Zenith Foreign
the 8th Language
High School

way of attaining its energy required, much less rising to a sufficient level like the US with a stable level
of energy sustenance. While prominent nations such as France and Japan are still holding on to their
nuclear plants, getting rid of ours without sufficient plans to cover the gaping gap of energy loss is being
criticized by many. Voices showing support for a swift decision that actually made radical changes are
surely out in the public, and the impending opinion poll results will show whether the public recognizes
the current situation as a national crisis or a new dawn in energy finance.

Nuclear power, while at first heralded as the omnipotent energy resource with little risk, has proven itself
to be a malicious source of mischief and tragedy in the worst of times. Even without the well-known in-
cidents of Chernobyl and Fukushima, contending with high-level nuclear waste has proven to be more
than just a problem. Combined with natural disasters or artificial incidents, nuclear problems had become
indeed nuclear for the time being. What with even one of the safest facilities specially designed against
earthquakes being destroyed in one fell swoop and leaking over 20 tons of nuclear waste in total, gov-
ernments all over the world are seeing eye to eye and acknowledging that nuclear power simply has to
go. Korea could be seen as a special case, for no other country in the world holds higher rates of nuclear
plant density in one area: 3 major cities and many smaller cities in the vicinity. Over 30% of the overall

population falls directly in the line of fire, so to speak, if accidents occurred, and it would only take a few
hours at most for the nuclear fallout to affect the whole nation. Amongst all reconsiderations of energy
resources, Korea should surely take into consideration the risks such as building yet another power plant
in this already-crowded nation. However, blank refusal to progress nuclear power without any sufficient
backup plan will surely backfire in the harshest manner possible. It is time the administration displayed
determination, assuring the public that the government is in charge of all situations, and that their decision
was nothing more than a wise portrayal of the common belief for welfare and safety.

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