Nuclear Power

In less than five decades, nuclear power in Taiwan went from a much lauded energy source to a nuisance. After the Fukushima incident in 2011, growing concerns about safety led to a shifting of attitudes towards nuclear power. The current Taiwanese administration continues to pursue its policy to phase out nuclear power by 2025 but meets growing challenges. This article explores the history of Taiwan's nuclear power program, the factors that led to its decline, and the security challenges of phasing out nuclear power.

South Korea’s nuclear energy policies have undergone significant changes over recent years, showing an “unstable” character depending on respective governments in power. This article explains the political factors behind these policy changes and the arguments made for and against nuclear energy in Korea; it also explores the competitive relationship between nuclear energy and renewable energy. While nuclear energy is unlikely to be phased out any time soon, the challenge for South Korea remains to create a distributed energy systems that increases local self-sufficiency in electricity supply and introduces distributed renewable energy-friendly markets.

In former evacuation zones of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, although the government of Japan pronounced it safe to resume normal life, some returnees found such a life elusive. To make life possible on their once-abandoned land, they decided to tackle radiation in their own ways. 

Nine years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, fundamental issues remain unresolved. Many domestic critics saw the Olympics as a ploy to distract from the nuclear disaster. The larger question remains: Should a country with an ongoing nuclear disaster be hosting these games?