CEO Cha Sung-soo of Korea Radioactive Waste Management Agency (KORAD).

Korea Radioactive Waste Management Agency (KORAD) offered a primary school English learning program targeting students in areas near the low- and medium-level radwaste treatment center last February by using part of a fee from inflows of radwaste.

Forty-six students in Grade 5 from four primary schools near the radwaste treatment center attended a four-night and five-day camp at the Daegu/Gyeongbuk English Village in Chilgok-gun from Feb. 28 to March 3. They had diverse hands-on experiences with 50 English native speakers.

The program, launched by KORAD in 2017, has enjoyed popularity for arousing interest in English and increasing learning capacity. Using fees accrued in accordance with the special act on the support of the areas near the low- and medium-level radwaste treatment facility, KORAD has been implementing a variety of projects to nurture excellent manpower in the region, including the primary school English learning program.

Whenever low- and medium-level radwaste is taken, 637,500 won in fees is collected per 200 liters of radwaste. Out of the fees, 75 percent belongs to the Gyeonju City government, and the remaining 25 percent to KORAD.

In the meantime, KORAD inspected the safety of facilities of the radwaste treatment center to prevent the occurrence of accidents from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6. KORAD CEO Cha Sung-soo, along with labor, management and cooperative company representatives, inspected major sites, including ground support facilities, cave-in radwaste treatment facilities and 2nd phase radwaste treatment facility construction site on Jan. 30.

A view of a primary school English learning program, offered by KORAD. (Photos: KORAD)

KORAD Signs MOU with Russia’s Rosatom & NO RAO

Korea Radioactive Waste Management Agency struck a tripartite MOU on cooperation with Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corp. (Rosatom) and the National Operator of Radioactive Waste Management (NO RAO) last Dec. 18.

KORAD CEO Cha, NO RAO President Igor Igin, and Leg Kryukov, a division chief of Rosatom, participated in the signing of the agreement at Rosatom headquarters in Moscow.

KORAD has shared the two countries’ information on the establishment of radwaste management regimes and the status of technologies as well as promoted cooperation with NO RAO since 2014. Rosatom oversees about 300 institutions and organizations related to the implementation of Russia’s nuclear power policies. NO RAO is an organization specializing in radwaste treatment, established in 2012 under the umbrella of Rosatom.
No RAO now operates a near-surface low- medium-level radewaste disposal facility, and it plans to operate an underground research facility designed to treat high-level radwaste starting 2024.

Under the agreement, KORAD is expected to strengthen its radwaste management capabilities by sharing Russia’s radwaste management technology information and exchanging experts of both countries.

KORAD CEO Cha said his agency will endeavor to secure public trust by managing radwaste in a safer fashion through technology exchange and cooperation with foreign radwaste organizations.