[Reporter’s Notebook] Ruling Party Launches Investigation into Tritium at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Democratic Party of Korea headed to Gyeongju on the 18th to investigate the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant site. This came just a week after Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon stated that "there is a need for an investigation at the National Assembly level." It signifies their intention to see with their own eyes, as tritium has leaked from Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant into the groundwater, and the investigation results by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission may differ from the facts.

According to the report Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters submitted to the opposition party, in April 2019, 713,000 becquerels (Bq) per liter were detected in stagnant water in a manhole of the groundwater drainage channel beneath the turbine building of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3. However, after recovery operations, it was determined that approximately 10,000 Bq leaked into the groundwater, which was below the standard limit of 40,000 Bq per liter.

The ruling party says it will determine during this site investigation whether the leakage scale is indeed ‘10,000 Bq’ or not. Ultimately, it appears they have taken direct action because they do not trust the investigation results of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

However, it is uncertain what achievements the ruling party can gain through the site investigation. If the leakage amount exceeds 10,000 Bq, it is expected that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will be held accountable, but it is more likely to provoke political controversy questioning whether the verification was objective.

Some suspect that going to the site only after the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission confirmed the facts might be a political move triggered by a Supreme Council member’s remarks, using it as a political card. On the other hand, if the detected amount is equal to or less than the ‘approximately 10,000 Bq’ confirmed by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, it will be difficult to avoid criticism that public anxiety was only stirred up.

It is not condemnable that the political sphere takes an interest in pollutants threatening public safety and conducts site investigations. However, this case differs in that it is not simply about investigating pollutants. Since conclusions have already been reached through scientific verification, re-investigating only causes unnecessary controversy. It is regrettable that the political sphere does not trust objective data.