the country, the nuclear power plants to be built can be minimized. This approach, however, does not offer energy supply security. More progressive option is energy efficiency improvement and expansion of renewable energy. Application of information and communication technology to renewable-based decentralized system together with weather forecast will reduce electricity loss while responding to fluctuation of electricity demand. 4. Opportunities for an energy transition 1. Social acceptance of electricity charge rise Nuclear power generation, thermal power and diesel cars are increasingly losing support among consumers, most probably due to a raising awareness of the consequences of nuclear accidents, a global trend towards sustainable energy and domestic phenomena, such as worsening air pollution and the occurrence of earthquakes. According to the nuclear power consumer awareness survey conducted in August 2016 by the Nuclear Power Energy Agency, 75.4 per cent of the respondents agreed on the necessity of nuclear power, but only 38 per cent agreed on its safety. The general perception is that nuclear power is a necessary evil that is not safe but nothing can be done about it. Only 28.4 per cent of respondents agreed on the extension of nuclear power plants, 38.2 per cent agreed with maintaining the status quo, and 29.5 per cent wanted the share of nuclear energy reduced. These findings are contradicted with another survey before the Fukushima nuclear accident, in which the majority of respondents agreed on expanding nuclear power generation. In general, 60.8 per cent of respondents agreed on the use of nuclear energy, with 11.7 per cent of respondents wanting the country to rely on nuclear power. Some 76 per cent of respondents disagreed, stating that new and renewable energy sources should be dominantly used. In an effort to accelerate the energy transition, public perceptions were surveyed in June 2017. Just as the 2014 study found, 15 consumers are willing to pay for renewable energy(table 8): 83.6 per cent of consumers said they favour the Moon government's energy transition policy, and 65.6 per cent of consumers are in favour of higher costs on the electricity bill if the money is used towards the energy transition. Table 8: Willingness to pay for renewable energy Category Agreement(%) Energy transition 83.6 Old nuclear power plant shut down 74.7 New nuclear power plant construction to stop 49.8 Coal power plant early shut down 79.8 New coal power plant construction to stop 70.2 Additional payment of electricity bill 65.6 Source: Korea Gallop, Public Opinion on Energy Policy(Seoul, 2017). Opposition(%) 12.3 20.6 41.1 15.9 22.9 15.4 15 Korea Gallop Poll, Public opinion on energy policy(Seoul, 2017). 22