[Report] Visiting Wolseong... Bewildered by Political Strife Surrounding Safety Facilities

Residents of Yangnam-myeon within 3km of the nuclear plant: "We've lived well for 40 years, so why the controversy?"

Yangnam-myeon Naari, located 2 km near the Wolseong Headquarters of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, where Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2 to 4 are situated. It was a quiet place where only three passersby could be seen in 20 minutes. (Photo by Moon Chaeseok)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] "We reject the public deliberation trick for nuclear phase-out! Immediately push for the expansion of the MACSTOR!" "Transfer high-level radioactive waste to the Blue House and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy!"

These were the messages displayed side by side on banners in front of an apartment about 2 km away from the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) Wolseong Headquarters, where Units 2, 3, and 4 of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, are located, on the 30th of last month.

Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju City, the epicenter of the 'Wolseong public sentiment,' is divided because of the spent nuclear fuel storage facility (MACSTOR) for Wolseong Units 2 to 4. Some residents expressed regret, saying they knew the nuclear plant was nearby but did not know the exact saturation point, and that the atmosphere in Wolseong worsened as outsiders began to come in.

Yangnam-myeon Naari, located 2 km near the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Wolseong Headquarters, where Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2 to 4 are situated. On one side, people say, "Why is a facility necessary for operating the nuclear plant safely a subject of controversy?" while on the other side, they claim, "It turns out nuclear waste is coming in. It must be shut down now."
(Photo by Moon Chae-seok)

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the regional implementation body under the Spent Nuclear Fuel Reexamination Committee gathered 150 people, including 100 residents from three towns and townships in East Gyeongju and 50 citizens of Gyeongju, and started a four-week 'deliberation process' on the expansion issue of the Wolseong MACSTOR from the 27th of last month. If the consensus statement after deliberation concludes with opposition to the expansion, the shutdown of Wolseong Units 2 to 4 in March 2022 could become a reality. These units generate 21.9% of the electricity for Daegu and Gyeongbuk.

The so-called 'three towns and townships of East Gyeongju'?Yangnam-myeon, Yangbuk-myeon, and Gampo-eup?are within a 15 km radius of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant. Among them, Yangnam-myeon, located 2 to 3 km away, is known as the area with the most sharply divided opinions. Actually visiting Yangnam-myeon, residents there did not welcome being lumped together with Wolseong as a nuclear power plant area. The plant has been there since 1978, and many expressed puzzlement over why there was such a fuss now after living without problems for over 40 years.

The East Sea as seen from a restaurant in Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Munmu Daewang Tomb (文武大王陵), Historic Site No. 158, floats quietly. If only there were no political disputes, this would be a peaceful vacation spot.
(Photo by Moon Chae-seok)

A (57), who has lived in Gyeongju since before the completion of Wolseong Unit 1 in 1978, said, "When Wolseong Unit 1 was built, there was no Chernobyl accident, so there was not much resident resistance to the construction, and some were curious about what it was. Later, as the media developed, Wolseong became a region that made the country noisy because of the nuclear plant, but regardless of that, I have lived next to the plant for over 40 years and will continue to do so."

The controversy over the expansion of the spent nuclear fuel storage facility (MACSTOR), which is 70-80% the size of a soccer field, is causing a nationwide uproar. (Photo by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power)

Among Wolseong residents, few were fully aware of the fact that the MACSTOR would be 100% saturated by March 2022, with a 19-month expansion period. Rather, many did not understand why the expansion of MACSTOR, a safety facility that blocks spent nuclear fuel generated during plant operation, was controversial. Some questioned that since the design lives of Wolseong Units 2, 3, and 4 end in 2026, 2027, and 2029 respectively, expanding the facility would allow electricity to be used as before for at least nine years, and if not expanded, wouldn't power supply decrease?

B (37), a Wolseong resident, said, "If MACSTOR disappears, the nuclear plant will have to be shut down, electricity will stop flowing, and the commercial district will obviously die. I am just bewildered by the fact that a safety facility, which was believed to have no operational disagreements, could be closed depending on the results of the public deliberation."