How deliberation changes public opinions on nuclear energy: South Korea's deliberation on closing nuclear reactors

•We analyze public opinion change in South Korea’s deliberation on a nuclear issue.•We examine what factors were significant in each direction of opinion change.•Depending on the direction of opinion change, significant factors varied.•The role of learning is nonlinear since it depends on the direction of opinion change.•We find that learning through deliberation deepens political divides on the issue.