Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD), which successfully dedicated and launched the operation of the first phase of the low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility, made a feat of no accidents as of April 4.
KORAD held a ceremony to celebrate the agency’s “no-disaster” milestone at the facility in Gyeongju on April 4. Participants of the event pledged to redouble efforts to prevent industrial disasters in preparation of the full-fledged operation of the radwaste facility.
Prof. Won Jong-il of Dongguk University spoke on a special educational program for KORAD employees to enhance awareness toward safety for the purpose of tripling the goal of operating its accident-free.
KORAD said it was significant to operate the radwaste facility without a single safety accident since 3,008 drums of radwaste were allowed in following the dedication of the first phase of the radwaste facility in 2014.
KORAD said 1,000 drums of radwaste from the Wolsong Nuclear Power Complex will be allowed in from March 29. At the radwaste facility, 704 drums of radwate, whose treatment has been approved by regulatory authorities, will also be accepted. It is the first time the treatment of the waste has been done there.
KORAD said it plans to treat 7,200 drums of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste, including 6,000 drums of radwaste from nuclear power plants, this year. In addition, 7,800 drums of radwaste whose treatment has been approved by regulatory authorities will be accepted.
KORAD has informed regulatory authorities, Gyeongju City government and neighborhood residents about the transportation schedules in advance of the radwaste being transported through the jurisdiction. A civil watchdog body will be allowed to inspect the unloading of radwaste at the facility.
KORAD President Lee Jong-in said his agency will devote itself to managing radwaste by communicating with neighborhood residents in a transparent way in accordance with the Government 3.0 Initiative stressing safety as the foremost task.
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Shown above is the KORADIUM, a facility for publicizing the low- and intermediate-level radwaste disposal facility, operated by KORAD in Gyeongju. (Photos:KORAD)
KORAD Strives to Enhance Public Acceptation of Radwaste Facility
KORAD arranged for a committee to screen projects designed to support neighborhood residents on March 10 and finalized support projects for this year.
KORAD implements the support projects to enhance the quality of neighborhood residents’ lives and raise public acceptance of the radwaste facility.
The radwaste facility obtains 637,500 won in support fees in return for 200 liters of radwaste being allowed in. Out of the total, 478,125 won or 75 percent is offered to Gyeongju City and the remaining 25 percent or 159,375 won is given to KORAD.
Support fees amounted to some 200 million won annually until 2015 when the first phase of the radwaste facility was built, and they are forecast to swell to a maximum of 1.2 billion won per year as radewste arrival goes up, KORAD said.
The support projects are divided into mid- and long-term programs designed to continuously reflect the values of local communities based on the views of neighborhood residents.
Mid- and long-term programs will be oriented to strengthen self-sustainability of neighborhood residents of the radwaste facility, such as the nurturing of a cooperative of locally-produced goods and the incorporation of regional manpower. Two examples of KORAD programs are a project to offer funeral goods and an educational program on the prevention of dementia.
In his New Year’s message, KORAD President Lee extended thanks to his executives and staff members’ dedication and efforts to the dedication of the nation’s first radwaste facility and the successful sea and overland transportation of radwaste for the first time. President Lee set 10 management tasks for the year 2016, including the launch of a project to construct the second-phase radwaste facility and the establishment of a plan to implement spent nuclear fuel management.
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