SEOUL (REUTERS) - South Korea's energy ministry said on Tuesday (Oct 24) work will begin as soon as possible to restart the suspended construction of two new nuclear reactors after a public opinion survey found a majority of South Koreans backed the projects.

But the ministry said in a statement Seoul will also cancel all plans to construct a further six nuclear reactors, in line with the government's aim of gradually phasing out nuclear power. The number of nuclear reactors operating in South Korea will be cut to 14 by 2038 it said.

President Moon Jae-in came to power in May, after running on a ticket that called for reducing South Korea's nuclear and coal-fired power generation in a push to use more natural gas and renewable energy.

After Moon took office South Korea halted work on the two reactors already under construction and called for a vote on their future amid public concerns over atomic safety. A public opinion survey found nearly 60 per cent of the respondents were in favour of resuming construction.