Development of Comprehensive Quantitative Evaluation System for Nuclear Power Safety Management... Korea-China-Japan Joint Radiation Drill Conducted

NSSC 2020 Work Plan
"Completion of Suitability Review for Gori Unit 1 Preliminary Decommissioning Plan by the End of This Year"

Eom Jae-sik, Chairman of the Nuclear Safety Commission. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chae-seok] The government will develop an inspection system that quantitatively evaluates the comprehensive safety level to strengthen nuclear power plant safety management and differentiates inspection items and methods according to the safety level. In addition, to proactively prepare for radiation accidents in neighboring countries such as China and Japan, the surveillance network will be densely expanded, and joint drills among Korea, China, and Japan will be conducted. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced the '2020 Work Plan' containing these details on the 19th.

In this year's work plan, the NSSC presented five key tasks to achieve the vision of "realizing nuclear safety that the public can trust and feel secure about": ▲ proactively strengthening safety management of nuclear facilities ▲ establishing a radiation safety system without blind spots ▲ enhancing large-scale accident and disaster response capabilities ▲ creating a solid foundation for safety regulation ▲ spreading empathetic communication and autonomous safety culture.

First, the safety management system will be strengthened. By 2022, a system to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensive safety level will be developed. An inspection system that differentiates regular inspection items and methods according to the comprehensive safety level of each nuclear power plant will be introduced. To this end, by December, a basic concept of a safety management system suitable for domestic conditions will be designed, and a safety level evaluation system for each nuclear power plant will be created. The plan is to complete the conformity review of the preliminary decommissioning plan for Kori Unit 1, the first domestic nuclear power plant scheduled for dismantling. In preparation for the full-scale decommissioning of nuclear power plants, rationalization measures for related safety regulations will be prepared so that waste with low radiation impact can be disposed of or recycled independently, and a system to separate construction permits and operation permits for high-level radioactive waste disposal facilities will be promoted.

Along with this, preparations for radiation accidents in neighboring countries such as China and Japan will also be strengthened. In the second half of the year, a Korea-China-Japan joint drill will be conducted to enable rapid emergency information sharing among neighboring countries. In November, the 'Korea-China-Japan Nuclear Safety High-Level Regulators Meeting' will focus on reviewing the results of the drills. The expansion of the radiation surveillance network deployed around domestic nuclear power plants will also be promoted. Last year, there were 171 locations. China will additionally install and manage monitors at 23 locations in the western and southern regions and 2 locations in the Korea-China joint water area. In Japan's case, the number of tritium analysis points will increase from 22 to 32, and the investigation frequency at major inflow points will be expanded from once a year to four times a year to respond accordingly.

Furthermore, the plan includes reorganizing the large-scale radiation disaster joint response system with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, promoting improvements in radiation safety standards and standardization of measurement methods through inter-ministerial cooperation, opening and operating nuclear safety regulation courses at universities, and forming and operating a public participation group for nuclear safety policy.

Chairman Eom Jae-sik emphasized, "This year, we will prioritize eliminating blind spots in nuclear and radiation safety management and collaborate with related ministries to create tangible changes that the public can feel."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.