[Exclusive] Depleted Uranium Ammunition to Be Transported Within Suwon Air Base of the Air Force

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The depleted uranium ammunition stored at the Republic of Korea Air Force 10th Fighter Wing (hereafter Suwon Air Force Base) will be relocated to the US 7th Air Force Base next year. Residents in Suwon and Hwaseong cities, Gyeonggi Province, where the Suwon Air Force Base is located, have opposed this, claiming that real estate prices have not risen due to concerns about explosions.

According to the military on the 21st, the US Air Force plans to build a new ammunition depot at the US 7th Air Force Base in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, by September next year. They intend to move 1.33 million rounds of depleted uranium ammunition currently stored at the Suwon Air Force Base to this location. Currently, the Magnum ammunition depot (approximately 529,000㎡) at Suwon Air Force Base consists of 40 ammunition storage buildings, two of which store depleted uranium ammunition.

Depleted uranium ammunition is shells made with depleted uranium, a byproduct from the enrichment process of uranium used for nuclear weapons or reactors. First used in the 1991 Gulf War, it has been criticized for causing a large number of cancer patients, including leukemia. In response, the military has argued, "Depleted uranium ammunition is unrelated to radioactivity, and annual radiation measurements show no impact."

However, opposition from local residents has continued. Residents have claimed, "Within 2 km of the ammunition depot, about 37,000 citizens (14,000 households), and within 5 km, about 251,000 citizens (114,000 households) reside, raising safety concerns." They have particularly pointed out that under the 'Agreement on the Storage of United States Air Force Ammunition in the Republic of Korea Ammunition Facilities' (commonly known as the Magnum Agreement), signed between the US and South Korean Air Forces in 1975, the US is not responsible for human or material damages caused by accidents.

Recently, the military also notified the US side of the results of the 'Study on the Reestablishment of Korean-style Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards.' With the increase of more powerful modern ammunition and many ammunition depots jointly used by the US and South Korea, it is necessary to review safety standards again. Currently, there are 660 ammunition storage buildings across 15 US military units in Korea, storing about 76,000 tons of ammunition. A government official said, "As violations of safety distances in our military's ammunition storage facilities have recently increased, we are expanding igloo-type and underground ammunition depots."

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