The major opposition People Power Party(PPP) renewed its criticism of government policy to reduce South Korea's dependence on nuclear energy after the state auditor found fault with the decision to shut down an old nuclear reactor. 

PPP spokesperson Yun Hee-suk relayed the stance in a written statement on Tuesday, calling the Board of Audit and Inspection’s evaluation on the decision-making process regarding the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor a “death knell” for the Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phase-out policy. 

Arguing that the BAI call revealed the “truth” that the government has unduly pushed its anti-nuclear policy, the spokeswoman urged the government to answer it by immediately scrapping the policy and instead make efforts to revive the country’s nuclear power industry. 

Earlier in the day, the BAI said that there were problems in the economic evaluation that served as the basis for the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power to permanently shut down the nation’s second-oldest reactor last year, three years ahead of the end of its life cycle. 

The Moon administration has sought to lower the nation’s dependence on nuclear reactors as a source of power from 30 percent to 18 percent by 2030 while raising the share of safer and more eco-friendly sources such as liquefied natural gas and renewable energy.