S. Korea restarts nuclear reactors after shutdown for inferior parts

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SEOUL, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- South Korean officials said Wednesday they restarted a nuclear reactor shut down in the face of reports that inferior parts were used in at least two reactors.

Early last month, the Younggwang 5 and Younggwang 6 reactors were shut down due to the reports that thousands of inferior parts had been used under false warranties, Yonhap news agency reported in Seoul.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved resumption of operations Monday of the Younggwang 5 reactor, but the Younggwang 6 reactor needed additional safety checks because it had also been undergoing regular maintenance operations, Yonhap reported.

The safety commission said 13,794 inferior parts had been supplied to the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. over the last decade and 6,494 of them actually had been used in the two reactors.

The resumption of the two 1-million kilowatt reactors will bump up South Korea's power supply, Yonhap reported.