Nuclear reactor malfunctions, shuts down in South Korea

A nuclear reactor at one of South Korea's nuclear power plants automatically shut down Sunday after its reactor protection system gave warning signals, plant operators said. S. Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoted an official from the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. saying that the New (Wolsong 1) reactor, located some 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was shut down at 10:53 a.m. due to the malfunction of a system that controls power output. The official said that there is no danger of a radiation leak from the reactor, adding that the operation of the reactor will resume after the ongoing investigation finds the exact problem and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approves its resumption. Wolsong 1 nuclear reactor went into full operation on July 31 this year. The stoppage of the nuclear reactor comes as concerns are rising over a possible power supply shortage this week. South Korea currently operates 23 nuclear reactors, which supply about 30 percent of its total electricity consumption.