Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy

Korea joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in August 1957. In addition, the government concluded bilateral or multi-lateral agreements on the application of the safeguards with the IAEA, the U.S., France, Canada, Germany, Australia and others, and on April 21, 1975, ratified the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

The President of the Republic of Korea declared in 1991 that Korea will use nuclear energy solely for peaceful purposes and will not manufacture, possess, store, deploy or use nuclear weapons. Korea also gave its assurance that all of the nuclear activities in Korea have been and will be carried out through international cooperation for mutual interests.

Nuclear Power Program

Korea is currently operating eleven nuclear units, including one pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) and ten pressurized water reactors (PWR), as shown in (Table 6.1). The total installed nuclear capacity was 9,616 MWe as of March 1996, which accounts for about 30% of the total electricity generation capacity, and supplies more than 35% of the total electricity. By 2010, the Korean government plans to bring another seventeen units on line. Among them, three PHWRs and two PWRs are currently under construction.

(Table 6. 1) Nuclear Power Plants in Korea

Plant		Reactor Type		Capacity (MWe)		Manufacturer		Commercial Operation
						Reactor	T/G
Kori	Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4	PWR PWR PWR PWR		587 650 950 950		Westinghouse Westinghouse Westinghouse Westinghouse	GEC GEC GEC GEC	1978.4.29 1983.7.25 1985.9.30 1986.4.29
Wolsong	Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4	PHWR PHWR PHWR PHWR		679 700 700 700		AECL KHIC/AECL KHIC/AECL KHIC/AECL	NEL/Parsons KHIC/GE KHIC/GE KHIC/GE	1983. 4. 22 (1997. 6) (1998. 6) (1999. 6)
Yong-gwang	Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4	PWR PWR PWR PWR		950 950 1000 1000		Westinghouse Westinghouse KHIC/GE KHIC/GE	Westinghouse Westinghouse KHIC/GE KHIC/GE	1986. 8. 25 1987. 6. 10 1995. 3. 31 1996. 1. 1
Ulchin	Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4	PWR PWR PWR PWR		950 950 1000 1000		Framatome Framatome KHIC/CE KHIC/CE	Alsthom Alsthom KHIC/CE KHIC/CE	1988. 9. 10 1989. 9. 30 (1998. 6) (1999. 6)

Radioisotope Applications

The application of radiation and radioisotopes (R.I.) in Korea began in the early 1960's, initiated by several colleges, research institutes, and hospitals, mainly for research and medical purposes.

R.I. applications have gradually increased over the last two decades along with the nation's industrial development. Medical and industrial applications became active in the early 1970's with the operation of the TRIGA MARK- III research reactor in 1972 and of a large scale Co-60 irradiation facility in 1975 at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. The TRIGA MARK II, with a 250 KW thermal output, and the TRIGA MARK-III, with a 2,000KW thermal output, have played an important role in the R.I. applications in Korea. More than thirty radionuclides for industrial and medical use have been produced by these two reactors.

An irradiation plant with a capacity of Co - 60 50 kCi began operation in July 1987 with an aim to irradiate food and medical supplies for sterilization. Also, cancer research and treatment through the medical applications of radiation and radioisotopes are particularly active at KAERI's Korea Cancer Center Hospital(KCCH).

Nuclear R&D

Based on the experiences and accumulated knowhow on nuclear power plant construction and operation, Korea established a long-term nuclear R&D program that is being implemented over the next ten years. This program is aimed at developing a wide range of technologies needed for peaceful uses of nuclear energy and also building a foundation for national energy self-sufficiency.

HANARO(Research Reactor)

The HANARO, a research reactor designed for 30MW thermaloutput, was constructed by KAERI in April 1995. The HANARO supports the active nuclear power development program as well as supplying an intensive neutron source for research and development of nuclear applications.

Research and development is conducted using the HANARO in the field of nuclear fuel and material testing, the production of key radioisotopes, neutron activation analysis, neutron radiography, and others.

Reactor Technology Development

Ulchin Units 3 &4, which are now under construction, will be the first Korean standard nuclear power plants designed and built with technology on hand. Through the improvement of the existing PWRs, Korea will develop the next-generation reactor technology by 2001.

Radioactive Waste Management Technology

To preserve the ecosystem in Korea as well as to acquire waste disposal stability at a publicly acceptable level, radioactive waste incineration,compression, decontamination, and decommissioning technology will be developed by 2006. Interim storage technology for spent fuel will also be developed by 1997. Spent fuel consolidation, ultra-high pressure technology, and permanent disposal technology will be developed by 2010.

Nuclear Safety and Regulation

Regulation

Regulatory activities on nuclear facilities in Korea are based on the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, its Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Regulation.

The ultimate responsibility for the safety of NPP rests with the operating organization. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has a general responsibility for ensuring the protection of public health and safety by regulatory control and safety inspection.

The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), entrusted with the regulatory work by the MOST, carries out technical assessment based on the licensing documents prepared by the utility and reports to the MOST on the assessment results. It also conducts safety inspections on all nuclear facilities, as regulated by the Atomic Energy Act.

Nuclear Safety

The safety of nuclear facilities inherently requires endless improvement.Research results are frequently applied to the system, design and operational procedures by means of feedback to improve operational safety.

MOST has established a long-term regulatory research and development program. The main topics are accident analysis, operational safety, and radiological and environmental safety enhancement. The program includes the following subjects:

• Effective implementation of safety regulation by MOST,
  
• Comprehensive implementation of security measures by utilities,
  
• Promotion of R&D for safety improvement, and
  
• Improvement of emergency preparedness.

Safeguards

Since Korea joined the IAEA, the government has established and maintained a national system for nuclear material control and accounting to ensure that nuclear materials and other materials subject to NPT safeguards are used only for peaceful purposes and are also verified by following the Agency's fullscope safeguards activities for all nuclear facilities in Korea. Furthermore, the government signed the Convention of the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material in April 1982 to improve and maximize the physical protection of nuclear materials and nuclear facilities.

The government has upgraded the current state system for nuclear material control and accounting by carrying out relevant R&D projects for the effective and efficient implementation of national and IAEA safeguards system.

In relation to the above, the government has developed a computer system to record and report the inventory changes of nuclear material, and amended the Atomic Energy Law and its Presidential decrees to reinforce the national safeguards system.

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