NSSC Forms 'Tritium Investigation Team at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Site'
"Team Leader to Be Recommended Expert in Geology, Not Nuclear Energy"
Democratic Party Begins On-Site Investigation at Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters on 18th
On Same Day, Nuclear Society and Radiation Protection Society Hold Press Briefing
The view of Unit 1 of Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant in Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. (Image source=Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government has decided to form an official investigation team to uncover the truth regarding the controversy over tritium leakage at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The ruling party is conducting an on-site investigation, and academia is holding a press briefing to explain the current situation. The opposition party has already visited the site.
On the 17th, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced plans to form a 'Tritium Investigation Team within the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant site' composed of civilian experts to conduct an investigation related to the detection of tritium within the Wolseong nuclear power plant site.
Fact Check Once More... "The Investigation Team Leader Will Be a Geological Expert Recommended, Not from Nuclear Field"
Earlier, Jeong Jae-hoon, CEO of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the responsible agency, stated on SNS on the 12th that "The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission also confirmed that tritium at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant has not leaked."
What is noteworthy is that the NSSC stated, "The investigation team leader will be appointed from a person recommended by the Geological Society of Korea, unrelated to the nuclear field."
In other words, the NSSC considers a single fact check insufficient, so it will re-verify through external experts, and the team leader will be a geological expert recommended from outside the nuclear field.
Regarding this, an NSSC official explained, "This is due to concerns about the possibility that groundwater with a high concentration of tritium measured within the nuclear power plant site could leak into the external environment."
The investigation team members will be composed of experts recommended by relevant academic societies and will autonomously decide on operation methods, investigation scope, and activity plans. The NSSC and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety will provide administrative and technical support.
Once the investigation team is formed, the list of members will be announced, and the team's activities will commence. The investigation schedule and other details will be decided and carried out by the team. The opinions of local residents and other stakeholders will be reflected during the investigation, and the process and activities will be transparently disclosed.
Ruling Party On-Site Investigation, Academia Holds Press Briefing... Whether to Request Board of Audit and Inspection Review After Investigation Is Undecided
Yang Yi-won-yeong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaking at a press conference on the "Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unplanned Radioactive Material Leakage Incident" held at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 13th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
Separately from the government, political circles and academia have also decided to pursue their own truth-finding and status explanations.
The Democratic Party's Special Committee on Environment will conduct an on-site investigation at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant at 9:30 a.m. on the 18th. This comes one week after Kim Tae-nyeon, the Democratic Party floor leader, stated at the Supreme Council meeting on the 11th that "a parliamentary-level investigation will be considered."
A Democratic Party official said, "The key issue is that tritium has already been detected in groundwater, and the question is how much contaminated material from within the Wolseong nuclear power plant site has flowed outside."
When asked whether they would request a Board of Audit and Inspection review if the investigation results differ from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Power's explanation, the Democratic Party official said, "Since tritium is continuously being detected, the schedule will be decided after the investigation."
The opposition party already visited the Gyeongju site on the 14th and received a briefing on the tritium detection issue from Won Heung-dae, head of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters.
According to the Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's own investigation detected 713,000 becquerels (Bq) of tritium per liter (ℓ) in water pooled in a manhole of the underground water drainage channel beneath the turbine building of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 in April 2019. This far exceeds the discharge management standard of 40,000 Bq per liter (ℓ).
The Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant stated that all water pooled in the drainage pipe was recovered into the liquid radioactive waste treatment system. The tritium concentration in subsequently inflowing water is about 10,000 Bq per liter (ℓ), which is within the standard.
The Korean Nuclear Society and the Korean Association for Radiation Protection will hold an online press briefing titled "Is Tritium at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Really Dangerous?" starting at 11 a.m. on the 18th.
Panelists include KAIST Professor Jeong Yong-hoon, who stated on the 8th that "The annual radiation exposure to residents around Wolseong from tritium is equivalent to eating six bananas or 1 gram of anchovies (about 0.25 grams of dried anchovies)."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
