Historic Korean city wants future with nuclear dump

Kyongju (South Korea), May 14: The ancient Korean capital of Kyongju's past is reflected in the royal burial mounds from over 1,000 years ago. Its future, by popular local acclaim, will be as the country's biggest nuclear waste dump.

In an unusual plebiscite in 2005, South Korea dangled at least 300 billion won (5 million) in aid and the promise of thousands of jobs to the area that would host the dump.

Four cities applied. Kyongju won with nearly 90 per cent of its voters saying they wanted an area that is home to dozens of World Cultural Heritage sites to eventually store nearly 800,000 barrels of radioactive waste.

Residents were fed up with laws that protected relics for dwindling tourists, restricted development and kept out industry.

''There was no other way for us to increase growth. The deal was the best we could get,'' said Lee Jin-ku, a city council member who helped lead the charge for the dump.

Lee said up until the 1980s, the economy was vibrant with about 3 million tourists a year coming to see historic places of the Silla Dynasty, which started in 57 BC, lasted for about 1,000 years and was the first kingdom to unify Korea.

But passport restrictions that limited overseas travel a generation ago have gone and now only about 1 million tourists a year visit the ancient city. Some complain it is overpriced.

Laws put firm limits on the types of buildings allowed in Kwongju and demand assurances that any unearthed relics will be protected.

That has kept industry away.

''It is almost as if every time you stick a shovel into the ground, you turn over an artefact,'' Lee said.

Since Kyongju voted for the dump, average land prices have increased and the city is bracing for its first population influx in years, he added.

All That Glitters

Kyongju, nestled in the mountains about 280 km (175 miles) southeast of Seoul, boasts Asia's oldest observatory, the majestic Pulguksa Temple built in 528 and large mound tombs holding remains of Shilla Dynasty's royals.

''People were blinded by the money,'' said Choi Seog-gyu, leader of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement of Kyongju, which campaigned against the dump.

''They became fatally numb to the safety issue,'' Choi said, calling the plebiscite a stroke of political brilliance.

South Korea, a big user of atomic power, had tried to find a dump for 20 years but was always blocked by protests.

But in this vote, the fury and the accusations were directed at the other candidates vying to host the dump, said Choi who remembers one campaigner comparing residents in a rival city to cockroaches.

It turned into more of a contest for jobs, industry and a pot of gold promised by the government and less about the impact of the dump on the environment, he said.

Kyongju already hosts two nuclear plants, with two more under construction. South Korea relies on nuclear reactors to produce about 40 per cent of its electric power and has a strong nuclear safety record, slightly marred by a few minor incidents.

Construction starts this year on the dump for low to mid-level nuclear waste. It will be located about 30 km outside the city and, in its initial phase, will hold 100,000 drums of radioactive waste underground.

Some locals even hope to make it a tourist stop.

A Legacy Of Radiation

Kyongju, a conservative stronghold, has been on the short end of the country's highly charged regional politics for a decade. The last two left-leaning presidents have sent funds for restoration projects in their strongholds in the southwest rather than to Kyongju, which saw its restoration peak under the 1961-1979 reign of authoritarian President Park Chung-hee.

''We have just enough money to clean and maintain our tourist sites but not enough to develop them or restore any other places that are a part of our history,'' said Kim Sang-tae, a civic activist who campaigned for the dump.

Kim said part of the windfall from the dump should go to building up the tourist industry, preserving culture as well as making sure local residents get discounts on electricity.

''We have great pride in our history and we are worried about what will happen to the image of the city because of the dump. But our economy will be stuck without it,'' Kim said.

Outside the main train station, merchants speak of dying businesses, unemployment and the hope the nuclear industry will be a steady source of income that keeps Kyongju afloat.

Environmental activist Choi said it is too late for the government to halt building the dump because its temporary nuclear waste storage facilities are just about full.

''Our ancestors handed us a cultural treasure that spanned 1,000 years,'' Choi said.

''We will be handing our descendants a history of radioactive waste that will last 1,000 years.''

Reuters
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