Gyeongju Municipal Assembly Agrees to Establish Nuclear Disposal Facility

The Gyeongju municipal assembly at North Gyeongsang province concurred on the issue of establishing a nuclear waste disposal facility, the first for primary assemblies nationwide, March 28.

The Gyeongju municipal assembly held a conference with 19 of its 24 assemblymen present, and commenced a vote after discussions, yielding 15 concurring votes and 4 dissenting votes, thereby clinching the issue.

If the issue passes a special commission vote to be held in early April, the Gyeongju municipal assembly will carry on with activities establishing the nuclear waste disposal facility.

Chairman Lee Jong-geun of the Gyeongju municipal assembly stated that “Gyeongju is currently operating Wolsung disposal facilities 1 to 4, and over 50 percent are not low or mid-level, but high-level waste matter handlers,” and that “by establishing the facility, we should consider ways to revive the local economy as well as the primary problem of the disposal of nuclear waste.”

In addition to Gyeongju, 2,000 residents of Youngduk-gun in North Gyeongsang province submitted a request to establish a disposal facility to the local assembly on March 21, while four cities and districts including Pohang and Uljin, have adopted a favorable stance to the establishment of the facilities, aided by advocacy groups and local governments.

Sung-Jin Choi choi@donga.com