The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) approved continued operation of the Kori-3 and Kori-4 reactors at the country's oldest nuclear power plant in the southern port city in a 5-2 vote on Tuesday.
Under the approval, the Kori-3 reactor is allowed to operate until September 2034 and the Kori-4 reactor until August 2035, extending both reactors' service by 10 years beyond their original lifespans.
The decision comes about four years after state-run operator Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) filed for permission in September 2022 to continue operating them.
The Kori-3 reactor was shut down in September 2024 after reaching the end of its lifespan, while the Kori-4 reactor stopped operating in August 2025.
Both reactors began commercial operation in the mid-1980s and have a generating capacity of about 1,000 megawatts each.
The nuclear watchdog said it would conduct on-site inspections to verify that KHNP had completed the required equipment upgrades and other follow-up measures before the reactors restart.
The latest extension marks the fourth time South Korea has decided to extend aging nuclear reactors' operations beyond their original lifespan, after similar approvals for the Kori-1 reactor in 2008, the Wolseong-1 reactor in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in 2015 and the Kori-2 reactor in 2025.
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