South Korea is seeking to focus on safety over economic development while pushing for its nuclear policy, the ICT ministry said Tuesday, amid its move to phase out commercial atomic energy generation.

The long-term road map on research and development for the nuclear sector was announced by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Details of the plan will be finalized after receiving opinions from frontline experts.

"R&D projects in the nuclear sector for the past 20 years have been pushed forward without much change. However, this should be revised in a future-oriented direction on the basis of placing priority on protecting people's lives and safety," the ICT ministry official said, asking not to be named.

The Moon Jae-in administration, which took office in May, has been pushing for a policy shift toward non-nuclear, clean and renewable energy sources.

In June, Moon vowed to scrap all existing plans for new nuclear power plants and not to extend the operation of any aged reactors nearing the end of their initial life cycles.

In line with his pledge, the government has suspended the construction of two nuclear reactors in the southeastern city of Ulsan. It plans to decide whether to scrap the construction project or resume it through a public deliberation process due to end in October. (Yonhap)