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International seminar opposes rad-waste

Nuclear Monitor Issue: 
#472
16/05/1997
Article

(May 16, 1997) An international meeting on April 24, 1997, organized by Green Korea and the KoreanFederation for Environmental Movement was attended by 120people from Korea and representatives from seven othercountries. They sent us the following report.

(472.4677) KFEM/Green Korea -In opening the meeting, Mr. Choi Yul, Secretary General of KFEM, said that no country has found an acceptable solution to the nuclear waste problem, and that as long as there is no solution, "it is clear that it is a scandal to go on creating more waste." The major English-language newspaper, 'The KoreaHerald' (April 25, 1997) gave a review of the seminar of wich we take some parts.

"Environmentalists step up efforts to deter nuclear waste shipment".

"We feel sorry about exporting radioactive wastes to foreign countries," said Renata Hsu of the Taiwan Environment Protection Union (TEPU), who gave an overview of the nuclear power problem in Taiwan during the morning session. "Dealing with radioactive waste of Taiwan is our own business, and therefore we should never dispose of our radioactive waste outside our country." Hsu explained the Taiwanese government's policy of temporarily disposing radioactive wastes to nearby Orchid Island beginning in 1982, with the promise of removing the wastes before the year 2002. In order to make good on its promise, the Taiwanese government was put in a difficult situation to find a permanent dump site for the nuclear wastes. As a result, North Korea recently became apotential permanent dump site because of its economic hardships. "We will do our best to ask the Taiwan government to abate the proposal of exporting radioactive wastes to foreign countries," she said. "If a government has no idea as to how to manage radioactive wastes, it is not qualified to operate nuclear power plants."

Following Hsu's remarks, Peer de Rijk of WISE-International discussed the effects of radiation on one's health. Up till now, the most extensive health data on the effects of radiation is the data on atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. According to de Rijk, high doses often result in a painful death within a few weeks while intermediate doses have shown to cause cancer and other health problems. "The health effects of lower doses received over along period are still debated, but the prevailing view of scientists appears to be that there is no safe dose," said de Rijk. In other words, should nuclear wastes be disposed (sic)in North Korea, there is a chance that the people of South Korea could also become victims of radiation as well. During the afternoon session, Ho Wai Chi of Greenpeace Chinaaddressed strategies to prevent the trans-boundary movement of nuclear wastes. Upon discussing Greenpeace's environmental efforts, Chi suggested that countries should enact laws or legislation at the national, regional and international levels prohibiting the transport of nuclear wastes. "Countries unwilling to accept the significant risks of these shipments should notify exporting countries that they want formal guarantees that irradiated nuclear fuel, plutonium and nuclear waste transport will not enter their territories or regions,"Chi said. Added Hiroo Komura of Japan's Shizuoka University,who spoke during the afternoon session, "I would like to say that transporting radioactive waste from nuclear facilities to a foreign country without any relations is absolutely criminal."

Other international presenters at the seminar included Mina Hamilton from New York (US), writer and expert on radioactive waste; Corazon Valdez Fabros, Secretary General of the Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition; Dian Abraham of the Indonesian Anti-Nuclear Society in Jakarta; and Satomi Oba, Director, Plutonium Action Hiroshima, Japan. Ms Hamilton explained that there is 'a trap in the term low-level' when referring to indigenous peoples. What "was potentially a local issue is now a national one," she said. The waste issue is important as they lobby their government: if there is no solution to waste storage then new plants cannot be allowed. She emphasized the connections between repressive regimes and this energy source: "When people have democratic rights there is no way that a nuclear program can be pushed through."

Problems on the Korean peninsula were discussed by the Korean participants. Prof. Pil Youl Lee of the Korea National Open University emphasized that South Korea, while critical of Taiwan's plans, "has many more reactors and produces more waste than Taiwan... and we all know that South Korea doesn'thave perfect technology for storing nuclear waste," He criticized plans for construction of two reactors in North-Korea by the international KEDO project, which will also produce nuclear waste. Through South Korea's major role inthis effort, "we (too) are exporting or making nuclear waste in North Korea." Dr. Gi-Woong Son of the Korea Institute for National Unification told the seminar that "because of the overall crisis of the North Korean nation, we doubt that the North Korean government can safely handle radioactive waste."An article from the North put on the Internet said they planned to use their own ships to move the waste. This is especially dangerous since the North does not have special ships for transport of such materials. He also doubted the safety of the deep coal mines where the waste would be stored,and anticipated marine pollution in the adjacent coastal areas.

Green Korea's Secretary General Dr. Jang Won thanked Taiwanese activists for their support of the Green Korea hunger strike in Taipei in January (an action before Taipower's headquarters demanding cancellation of the waste export plans, during which the Korean activists were attacked by ultra-nationalists and subsequently deported by officials). He said that currently South Korea has three major problems: nuclear waste, food waste, and human waste -- that of corruption in business and government circles. He called for an international network to stop transport of nuclear wastes from Taiwan to North Korea.Then he said, "we can move on to work on other waste issues in other countries."

A successful strategy workshop was held the following day. Discussion focused on coordinated actions to prevent the proposed waste export. The activists of TEPU, KFEM, GreenKorea need your international support!!

  • There are postcards wich can be sent to the Taiwan government.
  • KFEM need letters of support for their plans to directly blockade the shipment if it goes off to North-Korea
  • They also need international participants to join this action. KFEM is practising the skills of blocking a ship with smaller vessels. Every monday they get into the water with their small vessels and practice.
    KFEM is asking other international organisations to directly take part and GET ON BOARD!!
  • In June there will be a mass demonstration in Taiwan, expressing the opposition against the waste deal but also against the plans to build a nuclear powerplant..

Contact: For more information on the waste deal in general and the direct action: KFEM, # 251, Nooha-dong, Chongo-Gu, Seoul,110-042, S.Korea.
Tel: +82 2 735 7000; Fax: +82 2 730 1240
E-mail: kfem@kfem.or.kr

For the waste deal in general:
Green Korea, 385-108 Hapjong-dong, Mapo-Ku, Seoul, S.Korea
Tel: +822 325 5525; Fax: +82 2 325 5677
E-mail:environ@chollian.dacom.co.kr
http://soback.kornet.nm.kr/~baedal


Together with the representatives of Greenpeace Hongkong and the Plutonium Action Hiroshima (Japan), WISE-International had a short official meeting with the Taipei Mission Representative. Besides presenting the official seminar statement we could explain our particular views on the nuclear waste deal. The representative stressed that up till now the Taiwan government has nothing to do (officially) with the waste deal because there is no application yet for the waste deal from Taipower. Of course this is an ashaming statement. As if the government has not given permission already: Taipower is owned by the government. He stressed that as soon as Taipower applies for a license, the government will look at all the viewpoints and arguments (economical, environ-mental, etc)

After stressing from our side that the deal has to do as well with ethics, we left with the feeling it will take more than some nice talks to stop the waste deal....

Peer de Rijk WISE-international