Three South Korean workers died after falling unconscious on the job Friday in what is suspected to be a case involving inhalation of nitrogen gas at a nuclear reactor construction site 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The tragedy occurred in the city of Ulsan, where the New Gori 3 nuclear reactor construction project is 99 percent complete with the New Gori 4 reactor about 98 percent complete. They are expected to go on line in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The plant was undergoing tests at the time of the incident, the International Business Times reported.
Nitrogen is used to reduce the amount of oxygen in water used at power plants, which slows down oxidation. It is also used to maintain steady water pressure in some systems.
It was not clear if these uses were involved in the nitrogen leak that lead to Friday's fatalities, said Kim Sang-gyeong, a spokesman for state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company, which had placed its facility on high alert since hackers claimed it had infiltrated the company's computers and could manipulate control systems of the power plants. The anti-nuke hackers threatened the company with “destruction.”
Company officials say outside control of the computers is impossible, as the plant operates with a closed computer system.
There was no reason to believe there was a link between the cyber-attacks and the nitrogen leak, said company spokesperson Choi Hee-ye.
The South Korean Ministry of Labor, however, ordered the two reactors under construction to be closed. Police and other government agencies are investigating the incident. Yoo Han-bong, the head of the Ulsan office of the labor ministry said, “We will promptly conduct an investigation and hold accountable those who are responsible if any irregularities are discovered.”