Safety checks intensified for S.Korea's new nuke reactor

South Korea has a new reactor.

It will likely begin commercial operation in the first half of next year after being loaded with fuel rods this month.

The Shin Wolsong 2 reactor, located about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, will be ready to be put into commercial operation in May of next year following a seven-month trial run. Samsung C&T Corp. said.

"After loading with 177 fuel rods, the reactor is expected to go into full operation next year," said an official at Samsung C&T Corp., which is in charge of building the 1 million kilowatt nuclear reactor.

The Shin-Wolsong 1 reactor, also located in the city, went into commercial operation on July 31, but its operation was stopped only 19 days after went fully operative due to a malfunction. No radiation leakage has been reported.

Samsung C&T said it raised the level of safety checks on the new reactor to take into account heightened concerns about nuclear safety following an accident in Japan's Fukushima reactor last year.

South Korea operates 23 nuclear reactors that supply about 30 percent of the country's total electricity consumption.

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