South Korea is warning of power shortages after shutting down four nuclear reactors for safety reasons.  An investigation showed the reactors were using unauthorized parts with faked safety certificates.

Two of the reactors were idled last year, two were added to the list today because of an anonymous whistleblower.  Investigators were led to control cables that had failed to pass a safety test were given fake certificates.  Those cables are used to electronic signals to a reactor’s control system in the event of an accident.  In the event of a cable failure, the reactor operators would be essentially flying blind.

South Korea’s nuclear power industry has been plagued by a series of forced shutdowns, corruption scandals, and mechanical failures in recent years.  The problems have led to 10 of the country's 23 nuclear reactors being forced offline over safety concerns.

President Park Geun-hye and her administration are very concerned about “very serious” power shortages in August, which is characterized in South Korea by oppressive hot, muggy weather.