On the 13th, I visited the highland natural recreation forest in Cheoram-dong, Taebaek City, Gangwon Province, located at an elevation of 750 meters. As the name 'natural recreation forest' suggests, it was surrounded by dense trees; however, in its center stood a drilling rig more than twice the height of a person, along with dozens of long drilling rods lined up. This site is highly likely to be the location for a research underground research facility (URL) for developing technology for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel at a depth of 500 meters underground.
The Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) has determined that the site is suitable based on the analysis of geological characteristics after drilling four boreholes so far. Currently, the agency and the city of Taebaek are conducting detailed investigations, drilling an additional 8 to 20 meters each day for site and stability assessment technology development, as well as 3D modeling.
This site was ultimately selected as the research URL site after a single bid from Taebaek City and a unanimous decision by the site selection evaluation committee last December. The total project cost is estimated at 647.5 billion won, and a preliminary feasibility study will be applied for soon. If this passes, design work will begin in 2026, aiming for operation by 2033.
The research URL is the 'first step' toward building a high-level radioactive waste disposal facility. It aims to pre-develop disposal technology under similar conditions without actually importing radioactive waste. It will also help train specialized personnel and open the site to the general public, reducing anxieties about the future construction of a high-level waste disposal site. While countries such as Sweden, Japan, and Switzerland already operate research URLs and are working on deep geological environmental analysis and developing their own disposal systems, Korea, which ranks fifth in the world for nuclear power plant holdings, is relatively slow in developing related technologies.
◇ Nuclear society calls it 'unsuitable' vs. agency says 'no problem' — a direct confrontation
However, controversy arose over the suitability of the research URL site even before construction began. The nuclear society pointed out last month that 'various types of rocks, including granite, are distributed in the area 500 meters above where the research facility will be installed, making it unsuitable for research and development.' It also raised concerns that there might be unrelated studies conducted on the disposal site, which is expected to be selected based on granite.
In response, the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) rebutted, stating, 'Granite is sufficiently distributed at the expected installation depth (500 meters), and Japan and Switzerland also have various types of rocks mixed above their disposal depths.' Professor Kwon Sang-hoon, a site selection evaluator from Yonsei University, explained, 'There have been cases abroad where research on single granite bodies with many fractures was halted, and research URLs and disposal facilities exist in sedimentary rocks.' Professor No Yeol from Jeonnam University also noted, 'There are almost no research URL facilities with a single type of rock up to 500 meters, even in foreign cases.'
The agency also emphasized that, given the characteristics of Korea's terrain, it is difficult to find a completely uniform granite site from the surface to a depth of 500 meters. Kim Jin-ha, head of the team at the Nuclear Environment Agency, stated, 'Experts generally agree that it is very difficult to find uniform granite from the surface to 500 meters deep in our country,' adding, 'Since there is no guarantee that other types of rocks will not appear at future disposal sites, research must start now under various conditions.'
◇ Taebaek, the number one city facing population extinction, seeks local revitalization through 'not in my backyard' (NIMBY) facilities
Despite this controversy, Taebaek City is actively pushing for the construction of the research URL to revive the local economy. Kim Hak-jo, head of the Taebaek City National Policy Promotion Office, remarked, 'Taebaek, born out of the coal industry, faced a rapid collapse of its local economy due to the closure of the Jangseong mine,' adding, 'The research URL will serve as a turning point to establish new living conditions and foster young talent.'
Taebaek City is the city with the fastest population decline in the country and is in urgent need of attracting new industries. The research URL, which is effectively perceived as a NIMBY facility, was taken on by Taebaek City, as there was almost no nationwide competition to attract such facilities. Taebaek City has been operating the National Policy Promotion Office to find breakthroughs for local revitalization and is viewing the research URL as an opportunity for rejuvenation.
An official from Taebaek City stated, 'If the research URL is established, we plan to set up a nuclear-related school to cultivate specialized personnel from an early age, or review the possibility of utilizing it as a data center once the research facility is no longer in use.' They also mentioned that they are reviewing options to use the stone produced during the drilling process to backfill the closed Jangseong mine.