By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter


Kyongju City’s bid to accommodate South Korea’s first nuclear waste dumpsite was overwhelmingly approved by city residents, beating out three other candidates.

Kyongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom, in North Kyongsang Province, was approved by 89.5 percent of the residential vote.

Kunsan City in North Cholla Province and Yongdok County in North Kyongsang Province lost the bidding with approval ratings below the 85-percent mark in their residential votes. Pohang City of North Kyongsang Province had an approval rating of below 75 percent.

Kyongju reported 70.78 percent turnout of a total electoral roll of 208,607; Kunsan 70.14 percent of 196,980; Yongdok 80.21 percent of 307,536 and Pohang 47.22 percent of 374,697.

All of the four candidate cities met the minimum requirements of more than one-third voter turnout and the more than 50 percent voting in favor.

Commerce-Industry-Energy Minister Lee Hee-beom said, during the ballot counting, the candidate locations should humbly accept the voting outcome.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) repeatedly said it will select the final bidder based on the voting results and it is expected to unveil the site construction and other development projects for Kyongju soon.

Kyongju residents will receive major economic benefits, as it has tentatively been designated a nuclear waste dumpsite under commitment of policymakers.

The MOCIE promises a financial support package of 300 billion won ($285 million) for regional development, in addition to the construction of the waste facilities.

``The funds will be offered in the early stages of construction and the local government (North Kyongsang Province) will be able to utilize the funds for regional development and the welfare of its residents,’’ a ministry official said.

He said the local government to build the site will also receive a commission estimated to be 5 to 10 billion won a year, depending on the amount of nuclear waste deposited at the site.

In addition, the central government said it would relocate the headquarters of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power from Seoul to the area of the dumpsite.

In consultation with lawmakers, policymakers plan to set up a task force to take charge of support plans for the region with local residents.

The support package is expected to raise the regional per capita income level by promoting employment when construction begins in early 2007.

But Kyongju, under preservation through the designation of National Heritage and UNESCO World Heritage site, has many ancient cultural assets, a series of protests from civic groups and environmentalists are expected.

While some critics are skeptical about the location’s development, the nation could study successful cases in developed countries, such as Sweden, Belgium, France and Japan.

Japan named Rokkashomura, a small city in northern Honshu with a population of about 12,000, as a site to dispose of low-level radioactive waste in 1985.

The Japanese government promised a support package to win over opponents. More than 40 billion yen has been transferred to the city so far each year.

About 50 percent of the current 2,000 employees at the low-level waste dump plant were hired from the region, which keeps its residents’ per capita income high.

Forsmark, the long-standing nuclear waste dumpsite of Sweden, has also been successfully transformed from an underdeveloped to an industrial city.

Though the Swedish government didn’t provide residents with financial aid, 94 percent of the Swedish people and 95 percent of Forsmark’s citizens voted to construct the dump facilities.

But there have been some protests from anti-nuclear civic groups and environmentalists in Japan and Sweden.

South Korea is the world’s sixth-largest nuclear power producing country, operating 19 nuclear reactors.

kys@koreatimes.co.kr