South Korea suggests Northeast Asia nuclear safety group

South Korean President Park Geun-hye speaks during a ceremony marking the 69th anniversary of liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, on Liberation Day in Seoul August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Ahn Young-joon/Pool

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday urged the creation of a nuclear safety consultative group in Northeast Asia, given the high number of nuclear power plants in the region and public concerns over safety.

South Korea operates 23 reactors supplying about a third of the country's power, but Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster, North Korean nuclear tests and a series of domestic nuclear scandals have heightened public fears about nuclear radiation.