A lawmaker argued that the government should revise the Nuclear Damage Compensation Act to change the responsibility of the Korean Hydro and Nuclear Power Co.(KHNC), a business operator, to the unlimited liability.
Rep. Kim Jong-hoon of the Minjung Party made the remarks based on a recent report from the Nuclear Safety & Security Commission on the improvement of the nuclear compensation system to secure the effectiveness of compensation.
According to the report, the country`s nuclear power plants are more densely populated and carry higher industrial intensity in neighboring regions than overseas, and the current nuclear damage compensation system is not sufficiently reflected in the case of an accident, stressed Rep. Kim.
In the revision of the law, the report suggested the revision to protect victims, not business owners, return the business owner's liability to the unlimited liability system, increase the compensation amount, and the installation of the Nuclear Damage Compensation Fund.
The company's liability limit was revised to SDR 300 million won in 2001 from the previous unlimited liability.
"The cost of restoration exceeded 210 trillion won due to the Fukushima nuclear power accident in 2011 and the return rate of residents is only 20 percent. While the damage from the nuclear accident is astronomical, the country has been relegated in such a way as to protect nuclear power plant operators," Rep. Kim pointed out.
