Comprehensive On-Site Emergency Response Drill for Kori Unit 4 Radiation Leak Accident on 29th and 30th
Gijang-gun, Busan will conduct the '2024 Joint Radiological Emergency Drill' focusing on a simulated radioactive leak accident at Kori Unit 4 from May 29 to 30.
In the joint nuclear disaster prevention drill conducted at Gori in 2022, County Governor Jeong Jongbok is encouraging the drill participants.
This drill is a statutory exercise conducted jointly by the nuclear operator (Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters) and metropolitan and local governments, based on Article 37 of the Act on Physical Protection and Radiological Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Facilities, etc. Ten districts and counties within the jurisdiction of the radiological emergency planning zone, including Busan City, will be evaluated during this drill.
The drill will be divided into tabletop and field exercises. At the field site, approximately 130 employees from all departments and five towns of Gijang-gun, as well as about 300 participants from local military units, Gijang Police Station, Gijang Fire Station, and civilian organizations, will take part.
As the area where the Kori Nuclear Power Plant is located, Gijang-gun will focus on implementing initial resident protection measures for the closest neighboring areas. Through the drill, the on-site response duties and roles of public officials will be enhanced, and the expertise and emergency response capabilities of radiological emergency personnel will be comprehensively evaluated.
In particular, on May 30, about 1,000 residents and students from the Preventive Action Zone (PAZ) within a 5km radius of the nuclear plant will directly participate in the field exercise, gaining hands-on experience and training on resident action guidelines in the event of a radiological emergency.
On the first day, May 29, a tabletop exercise will be held by establishing the Radiological Emergency Response Headquarters at the Gijang-gun Disaster and Safety Situation Room. The drill will follow a scenario simulating a radioactive leak at Kori Unit 4, based on the 'Gijang-gun On-site Action Manual.' Activities will include: ▲internal situation assessment meetings ▲video conferences with agency heads ▲information sharing among related organizations via the Emergency Response Information Exchange System (ERIX) ▲processing various drill messages by 13 collaborative working teams of the Gijang-gun Response Headquarters.
On the second day, May 30, a comprehensive field drill focusing on resident protection measures, the core of Gijang-gun's initial on-site response, will be conducted. Residents from 21 villages closest to the Kori Nuclear Power Plant and all students of Janganjung Middle School will relocate to Gangseo Sports Park (designated as an evacuee relief center) more than 30km away. The drill will sequentially include: ▲dissemination of radiological emergency alerts ▲indoor sheltering and traffic control ▲resident evacuation ▲radiological contamination inspection and decontamination ▲distribution and administration of potassium iodide tablets ▲operation of a wide-area evacuee relief center ▲return of residents following the termination of the radiological emergency.
Mayor Jeong Jongbok instructed, "Prepare substantial hands-on programs and disaster prevention education to enhance residents' understanding of radiological emergency preparedness," and emphasized, "Since about 1,000 residents and students will participate directly in this drill and over 50 large buses will be mobilized, pay special attention to preventing safety accidents during the exercise." He added, "We will do our utmost to protect the lives and property of residents from potential nuclear accidents by strengthening the effectiveness of customized radiological emergency resident protection plans for the region."
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