By Lee Hyo-sik
It is estimated to cost at least 10 billion won ($9 million) to dispose of asphalt contaminated with radioactive material in northern Seoul, according to the Korea Radioactive Waste Management Corp. (KRMC) Wednesday.
KRMC said up to 1,200 drums will be needed to contain about 330 tons of asphalt currently stored in a swimming pool in Sanggye-dong, Nowon District.
“It normally costs 8 million won to purchase one drum and put radioactive materials into it,” a KRMC official said. “As a result, the disposal expense will amount to 9.6 billion won. On top of that, hundreds of millions of won will be needed to transport and store the drums at radioactive material storage facilities in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, or other places,”
On Nov. 4, radioactive materials were detected in asphalt in Wolgye-dong, Nowon District. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said the radioactivity level was 1.82-35.4 Becquerels (Bq) in the pavement. Its inspection also found Cesium-137.
After the discovery, the district office and Seoul city removed the pavement asphalt from roads, and moved it to a nearby swimming pool.
The commission classified the materials as low-level radioactive waste, like gloves and uniforms used in nuclear power plants.
But it is still required to be put into special containers and stored in an isolated place.