Busan Gijang-gun Expands 'School Meal Radiation Safety Inspection Project'

February 14-28, 3rd Public Offering for 'Radioactivity Safety Inspection Project of School Meal Ingredients'

Establishing a Continuous and Active Safety Inspection System for Ingredients, Pre-Cooking Measurement Confirmation and Response

Busan Gijang-gun (Governor Jeong Jong-bok) is conducting the 3rd public recruitment (demand survey) for the ‘2024 Radioactivity Safety Inspection Project for School Meal Ingredients’ targeting schools (elementary, middle, high, and special schools) within the district until the 28th.

Jung Jong-bok, the mayor of Gijang County, is demonstrating radiation measurement equipment at the Gijang Fisheries Cooperative in July last year.

The ‘Radioactivity Safety Inspection Project for School Meal Ingredients’ is a project in which Gijang-gun installs (free lease) the ‘Radioactive Nuclide Analyzer for Food’ equipment it owns at school sites to support schools’ independent radioactive safety inspections, and provides technical support such as ▲operating equipment training ▲equipment performance inspection and maintenance ▲verification of measurement and analysis results.

It was promoted last August in response to the Japanese government’s discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident into the ocean, aiming to secure safe food for children who are sensitive to radiation exposure and to alleviate parents’ anxiety. Gijang-gun is the only local government implementing this project at the school level.

In March last year, after consultations with related organizations, the county conducted the ‘1st public recruitment’ targeting schools in the district, selecting Ilgwang Middle School and Wolnae Elementary School, and started a pilot project in June. In November last year, through the ‘2nd public recruitment,’ Janganjeil High School was additionally selected.

This ‘3rd public recruitment’ will be conducted for two weeks from February 14 to February 28 targeting schools in the district. The county plans to select four more schools through this recruitment, expanding the total number of target schools to seven this year.

Based on the pilot project results from last year, the county is working on improvements to enhance convenience such as measurement procedures and operation methods of the specialized equipment. To ensure the reliability of measurement results, cross-analysis is being conducted by the Radiation Science and Technology Research Institute at Pukyong National University (a specialized radioactivity analysis institution), designated as the Busan area radioactivity measurement station under the national environmental radioactivity monitoring system.

In particular, the Gijang-gun Council recently enacted the ‘Ordinance on Supporting the Use of Safe Ingredients Free from Radioactivity and Other Harmful Substances in School Meals,’ establishing a legal basis for administrative and financial support.

Governor Jeong Jong-bok emphasized, “This project is an exemplary case of continuously utilizing the radioactive nuclide analyzer equipment secured in preparation for radiation emergencies for the benefit of local residents,” and added, “We will actively support securing safe food from radioactivity and alleviating residents’ anxiety. By strengthening radiation disaster prevention capabilities for resident protection measures, we will create a Gijang-gun where residents can live safely from radiation.”

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