Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) has established comprehensive earthquake-proof measures to reinforce the safety of the second phase, near surface disposal facility for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in the wake of the last Sept. 12 quake. 

KORAD decided to redesign the silo and underground side inspection path of the near surface disposal facility, whose site ground leveling was launched last August to ramp up preparedness to cope with earthquakes. KORAD raised anti-quake standards from 0.2g (magnitude 6.5 in Richter scale) to 0.3g (magnitude 7.0). As a result, the dedication of the second phase of the near surface disposal facility is to be delayed one year to 2020. KORAD put into practice the upgraded anti-quake measures shortly after reporting them to the Gyeongju City government and the nuclear power committee of the Gyeongju City Council. 

The comprehensive earthquake-proof measures also contain steps to strengthen the safety of the first-phase, cave radwaste treatment facility, now in operation, including the ramping up of emergency response steps. KORAD plans to overhaul the site actions manual for earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, while establishing a manual of site actions for earthquake disasters. 

“KORAD has conducted in-house inspection and outside experts’ safety checks into the radwaste treatment facility to ensure the safety operation of the facility,” said KORAD President Kim Jong-in. KORAD will devote itself to being reborn into a radwaste treatment facility deemed safe from natural disasters by implementing comprehensive earthquake-proof measures so that people feel at ease, Lee added. 

‘When We Look forward to the Future, We’ll Get Stronger’

In his New Year’s message, KORAD President Lee said, “The business environment surrounding KORAD in 2017 is required to take up new challenges.” 

“The radwaste treatment facility, three years in operation, is now in a stage of stability, and we have to make preparations to solve new challenges such as the 2nd phase construction project in a calm manner,” he noted. “It is significant to establish relationships with diverse stakeholders across the nation with the pending parliamentary passage of the act on the procedures on the management of high radioactive waste. If we have the right attitude to cope with this, nothing would threaten us,” Lee said. 

Ushering in “the New Year of Jeongyu,” President Lee proposed three options to overcome hardships and make a leap forward. First, Lee called for safety awareness to take root. KORAD will have to implement steps to ensure the safety of the radwaste treatment facility without failure, especially since the Sept. 12 earthquake rattled some people’s nerves. 

The corporation will have to review radwaste regimes and deliver it with safety being the top priority and the goal of easing public misgivings. KORAD is asked to ensure the safety of the construction of the 2nd phase project of the headquarters office building. Lee urged KORAD workers to prioritize safety. 

Second, he told KORAD staff that trust is the most significant asset. 

Third, Lee urged KORAD employees to nurture more capabilities and make concerted efforts to ensure the smooth implementation of radwaste management vis-a-vis its neighborhood stakeholders.