[Exclusive] Gyeongju City's Protective Suit Stockpile for 'Japan Quarantine Supplies Support'... Usually at 40% Level

Pre-COVID-19 Stockpile of 58,000 Protective Suits
About 30,000 Sets Distributed to Daegu and Gyeongbuk Local Governments
1,200 Sets Provided to Japanese Local Governments from Stockpile
If Support Had Proceeded as Planned, Criticism Would Have Wo

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] As it became known that Gyeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, sent quarantine supplies to Japan, drawing public criticism, it has been identified that the stockpile of protective suits prepared for nuclear power plant accidents has dropped to less than half of the usual amount.

According to Gyeongju City on the 25th, before the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in February, the city had about 58,000 sets of protective suits in stock. The protective suits consist of four items: full-body protective suits, masks, gloves, and shoe covers.

However, due to the spread of COVID-19 in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, about 30,000 sets were delivered to nearby local governments, significantly reducing the stockpile. Additionally, 2,400 sets?1,200 sets each?were sent to Nara City and Kyoto City in Japan, leaving the current stockpile at only 25,000 sets.

If additional support had been provided to the three Japanese cities as planned, another 15% of the remaining stockpile would have been lost. The protective goggles (googles) already delivered to two Japanese cities were separately purchased by Gyeongju City. The price per goggle is 10,000 KRW, with a total purchase price of 20 million KRW.

The issue lies in Gyeongju City's geographic characteristic of being adjacent to the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant (Wolseong Nuclear Power Station), which necessitates having protective suits ready to protect citizens in emergencies.

The standard Gyeongju City uses for stockpile volume is based on the number of citizens within a 25 km radius of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, approximately 55,000 people. Gyeongju City, with approval from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, has set the 'Radiation Emergency Planning Zone' to 25 km. Although civic groups have called for this zone to be expanded due to the Fukushima nuclear accident's affected area exceeding 30 km, it has not yet been expanded.

In Gyeongju's case, most of the densely populated urban areas are excluded from the 'Radiation Emergency Planning Zone' by just 2 to 3 km. If expanded to 30 km, the number of residents eligible for protective measures in emergencies would increase more than threefold, from about 55,000 to 190,000.

If the emergency planning zone is expanded, according to nuclear-related laws, not only must protective supplies be prepared, but shelters and evacuation routes must also be established, which would inevitably increase the burden on Gyeongju City and the nuclear power plant operating institutions. The price of one set of protective suits varies widely from 20,000 to 100,000 KRW. It is reported that Gyeongju City has previously purchased large quantities of protective suits through bidding at about 10,000 KRW per set.

A Gyeongju City official stated, "There is no mandatory regulation on how much protective supplies must be stockpiled," but added, "Since protective supplies have become insufficient due to the COVID-19 emergency situation, we plan to replenish them as soon as possible."