[News Terms] 'Radiation Emergency Planning Zone' Failing to Receive Nuclear Safety Budget

The 'Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ)' is a designated area established to intensively prepare resident protection measures such as evacuation and sheltering in advance in case of a radiation leak accident at nuclear facilities. It is divided into a precautionary protective action zone and an urgent protective action planning zone based on the distance from the nuclear facility.

All countries with nuclear power plants set up Emergency Planning Zones centered around the power plants to prepare for nuclear accidents. According to the IAEA's EPZ recommendations, countries operating nuclear power plants must establish a precautionary protective action zone (within a radius of 3 to 5 km from the plant) for immediate evacuation in case of suspected or actual nuclear accidents, and an urgent protective action planning zone (within a radius of 20 to 30 km from the plant) where evacuation or provision of protective drugs must be prepared or distributed to residents when radiation leakage is confirmed.

Panoramic view of Gori Nuclear Power Plant.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

In the United States, the emergency planning zone is designated up to 16 km from the nuclear plant, while European countries such as Belgium, Germany, and Hungary set it at 20 to 30 km, and Japan sets it at 30 km.

Kim Young-gil, chairman of the National Alliance of Areas Near Nuclear Power Plants (Jeon-guk Wonjeon Dongmaeng) and mayor of Jung-gu, Ulsan, urged the establishment of a nuclear safety grant tax at the 'National Assembly Policy Forum to Urge the Establishment of a Nuclear Safety Grant Tax' held on the 2nd in the large conference room on the 2nd floor of the National Assembly Members' Office Building, stating, "The risk burden and disaster prevention responsibility of nuclear power plants are shared, but the compensation is only given to some local governments, which is an unreasonable policy that needs to be improved."

The nuclear safety grant tax is one of the local grant taxes being promoted to be newly established for radiation disaster prevention and other resident protection and welfare projects for about 5.03 million residents near nuclear power plants. The National Alliance of Areas Near Nuclear Power Plants is located within the Emergency Planning Zone but has not received support from the nuclear safety budget.

If the nuclear safety grant tax is established, among the 28 local governments designated as Emergency Planning Zones, except for the five local governments that already receive budget support?Uljin, Yeongdeok, Gyeongju, Gijang, and Yeonggwang where nuclear plants are located?the remaining 23 local governments will be able to receive grant tax support.