Environmental groups urged the closure of the Hanbit nuclear power plant No. 4 in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, where multiple holes were found in the containment building.
The groups held a press conference in front of the Nuclear Safety Commission on Sept. 12, saying, "Fourteen holes were found in the stiffener of the steel plates in the containment building of the Hanbit power plant No. 4. And there is a possibility of finding more holes in the additional investigation."
They criticized, "An estimated oil leaked from a steel wire holding concrete structures was also found in the hole. The Hanbit nuclear power plant is in total difficulty due to corrosion of containment iron plate and the discovery of the 22 holes."
Noting that they have raised a number of problems since the construction, such as defective materials and faulty construction, they pointed out that nuclear power plants have been stopped due to various accidents during the operation.
"These serious problems are not well known to the public, so that we are standing here," they said. We should also conduct a thorough investigation into the Hanbit nuclear power plant No. 3, which was built using the same technique.
The groups plan to launch a signature campaign to close the the Hanbit nuclear power plant No. 4 early and announce the safety problems of the nuclear power plant.