President Moon Jae-in said on Friday that nuclear power plants should be sufficiently utilized as a main and “foundational” power source for the next 60 years or so. 

The president, who touts his nuclear phase-out policy as one of his major achievements during his tenure, made the remark as he presided over a meeting to discuss global energy and supply chain issues, according to Presidential Spokesperson Park Kyung-mee.  

The spokesperson said the meeting sought to check up on the current operation of local nuclear power plants and secure a stable supply of electricity amid growing concerns over global energy supply following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Moon instructed officials to maintain nuclear power plants’ operation rates at a proper level and also secure safety of the facilities. 

He specifically called for normalization of several stalled projects to build nuclear reactors, such as Shin Hanul 1 and 2 and Shin Gori 5 and 6, stressing efforts and investments made so far to enhance their safety.