Nuclear Malfunction Scare in South Korea

South Korea was forced to shut down one of its nuclear reactors last Tuesday following a malfunction in its control system but there was no risk of a radiation leak, plant operators said.

The 1,000-megawatt Shingori 1 reactor near the southern city of Busan was shut down after a warning signal at 8:10 am, the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) said.

“There was a malfunction in the reactor’s control rod, but the reactor is now stable with no danger of a radiation leak,” a KHNP spokesman said.