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S. Korea restarts nuclear reactors after shutdown for inferior parts

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.

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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.

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