South Korea enacts legislation on high-level waste

Tuesday, 4 March 2025

The High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act was passed by the National Assembly during a plenary session on 27 February. It was enacted through an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties nine years after discussions on the legislation first began.

The act includes provisions for the construction and operation of interim storage facilities and permanent disposal facilities for high-level radioactive waste, and support for hosting areas. It includes the establishment of the High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Committee under the Prime Minister, the establishment of a procedure for selecting a high-level radioactive waste storage site, as well as measures for collecting opinions and supporting them in surrounding areas when installing storage facilities on nuclear power plant sites.

It also calls for the construction of underground research facilities for research purposes for technology development and verification required for construction and operation of disposal facilities.

The bill stipulates that the high-level radioactive waste interim storage facility will be operated before 2050 and the disposal facility before 2060, "so the government plans to begin the site selection process in earnest in line with the enforcement of the law," the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.

The legislation states that upon completion of the interim storage facility, used nuclear fuel will immediately be removed from on-site storage facilities, and the introduction of used fuel from other nuclear power plants into the on-site storage facilities would be prohibited. 

"As the spent nuclear fuel currently temporarily stored in nuclear power plants is expected to gradually reach saturation, starting with the Kori and Hanbit nuclear power plants in 2031, a management facility that can safely dispose of and permanently isolate spent nuclear fuel has been established, and a support plan has been established for the areas hosting the facilities," the National Assembly said.

The Korea Radioactive Waste Management Corporation was set up at the beginning of 2009 under the Radioactive Waste Management Act as an umbrella organisation to resolve South Korea's waste management issues and waste disposition, and particularly to forge a national consensus on high-level waste. It is accountable to the ministry. In mid-2013 its name changed to the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD).

The enactment of the law was welcomed by KORAD, whose Chairman Cho Sung-don said: "The passage of the special law at the plenary session of the National Assembly is a historic first step toward high-level radioactive waste management. Through the enactment of the special law, our country has been able to rise as a leading country in the radioactive waste industry, completing the entire cycle of the nuclear power industry from nuclear power generation to radioactive waste management.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the ruling and opposition party lawmakers who prepared the related bills from the 20th to the 22nd National Assemblies, the citizens in the five nuclear power plant regions, and the nuclear industry who cooperated in the enactment of the law. As the national agency dedicated to radioactive waste management, KORAD will proactively promote high-level radioactive waste management and contribute to creating a safe Republic of Korea."

Until now, there have been no proper legal provisions for the disposal of high-level waste, resulting in its on-site temporary storage pending construction of a centralised interim storage facility. However, many of the on-site storage facilities are nearing full capacity.