Three workers die at nuclear plant site

Seoul, South Korea

Three South Korean workers died yesterday after apparently inhaling toxic gas at a construction site for a nuclear plant being built by South Korea’s monopoly nuclear power company, which has come under recent threats by hackers.

The accident at the construction site in the southeastern city of Ulsan came as the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power was on high alert over a series of threats by hackers who claim they can disable the control systems of its plants. Choi Hee-ye, a company spokeswoman, said there was no reason to believe yesterday’s accident was linked to the online threats.

The victims were working at the construction site when they fell unconscious and were taken to a hospital, where they later died. The company has yet to determine the cause of the accident, although the leaking of nitrogen was suspected.

Nitrogen is used at nuclear plants to reduce the oxygen levels in the cooling water to slow the oxidation of the equipment or to control pressure levels in tanks, according to Kim Sang-gyeong, a Korea Hydro spokesman. Kim couldn’t confirm whether the plant under construction, which was undergoing test runs, was using nitrogen in such ways.

Construction of the plant is scheduled to be completed in June.