Completion of Ammunition Demilitarization Facility in Yeongdong, Chungbuk

On the afternoon of the 14th, the Ministry of National Defense held a completion ceremony for the ammunition demilitarization facility constructed in Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do to safely and environmentally process spent ammunition. Officials from the Ministry of National Defense, the Army, Yeongdong County Office, the Agency for Defense Development, and representatives of local residents are taking a commemorative photo together.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Two additional eco-friendly ammunition demilitarization facilities have been completed in Yeongdong-gun, Chungbuk. 'Ammunition demilitarization' is the process of making unexploded ordnance or expired ammunition unusable for military purposes through methods such as incineration or disassembly.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 15th, the newly completed ammunition demilitarization facilities consist of a heat-resistant incineration facility and a large ammunition disassembly facility, covering a total floor area of 3,184㎡ (approximately 960 pyeong). About 20 billion KRW was invested.

The Ministry of National Defense has been constructing three facilities around Yeongdong-gun since 2008 to process large quantities of ammunition in an eco-friendly manner, and has demilitarized over 45,000 tons of ammunition to date. The cost savings on ammunition storage facilities amount to approximately 350 billion KRW. However, the Ministry explained that propulsion units of guided missiles and propellant charges of artillery shells could not be processed at existing facilities, which led to the construction of two additional facilities.

With the operation of the new facilities, an additional 1,400 tons of waste ammunition can be processed annually, reducing the construction and operating costs of ammunition storage facilities. The number of local residents employed increased from about 40 to 55. The Ministry of National Defense plans to additionally construct a submunition disassembly facility and a plasma incineration facility. Furthermore, aiming to become an 'advanced country in ammunition demilitarization,' it will continue to develop technologies to expand the types of ammunition that can be processed at demilitarization facilities.

Lee Bok-gyun, Military Supply Officer, stated, "The newly constructed demilitarization facilities will contribute to improving the military's ammunition storage capacity, revitalizing the local economy, and preventing environmental pollution."

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