Kori 1, South Korea's first commercial reactor (576 MWe PWR, 1978), shut in June 2017 and in June 2025 became the country's first unit approved for dismantling. KHNP plans to move spent fuel to an on-site dry store by 2031 and finish in 2037 at an estimated cost of KRW 1.07 trillion.
New to decommissioning? The nuclear decommissioning market in 2026: size, players, pipeline
Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | South Korea |
| Location | Gijang, Busan |
| Site | Kori |
| Units | Unit 1 |
| Unit count | 1 |
| Reactor types | PWR |
| Net capacity (MWe) | 576 |
| Owner / licensee | Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2017-06-18 |
| Decommissioning start | 2025-06-26 |
| Target completion | 2037 |
| Cost estimate | KRW 1071.3bn (as of 2025-06) |
| Spent fuel | Spent fuel in the pool, to be moved to an on-site dry storage facility due for completion by 2031. |
| Notable issue | No interim or permanent spent-fuel store yet sited in Korea; first full commercial reactor dismantling in the country. |
Notes
Capacity: WNN cites 576 MWe; JoongAng cites 587 MW (gross). Cost KRW 1.0713tn includes KRW 808.8bn decommissioning + KRW 252.5bn waste disposal.
Timeline
- 1978-04-29 — Kori 1 began commercial operation. (source)
- 2017-06-18 — Kori 1 was permanently shut down. (source)
- 2021-05 — KHNP submitted its final decommissioning plan to the NSSC. (source)
- 2024-05 — KHNP began preliminary chemical decontamination. (source)
- 2025-06-26 — The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved Kori 1's decommissioning. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
NNN coverage
About Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
- Singapore's nuclear future: policy, money and the industry map 2026-09-22
- US, South Korea outline $120bn plan for eight reactors 2026-10-02
- Nuclear power for data centers, explained: every deal tracked 2026-10-01
- Rosatom signs EPC contract for Kazakhstan's first nuclear plant 2026-09-04
- Natrium timeline: every milestone from ARDP award to first power 2026-08-26
- TerraPower names Hyundai E&C as EPC for up to eight Natrium reactors 2026-08-15
Related sites
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant (Units A and B) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (KBR) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant (KKB) Active dismantling · Germany
- Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant Fuel removal · Taiwan
- Chooz A Active dismantling · France
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States
- Doel Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-3) Shut down · Belgium
- Dounreay (DFR and PFR fast reactors) Active dismantling · United Kingdom
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Decommissioning of oldest Korean reactor approved — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- Korea approves decommissioning of Kori-1, its first commercial nuclear reactor — Korea JoongAng Daily, checked 2026-10-11
- S. Korea approves decommissioning of Kori-1 nuclear reactor — Yonhap News Agency, checked 2026-10-11