[Korea Times, 31 August] The South Korean government has so far failed to find any trace of the 2.7 kg of uranium samples inadvertently removed from the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and sent to a waste incinerator in May. The Ministry of Science and Technology said it believed the uranium was removed from the research facility by a refuse disposal company on 17 May and burned or buried in an undisclosed landfill two days laters. A ministry official, Park Jin-sun, said, "We believe that most of the uranium shattered into minuscule particles in the furnace and was buried in the ground along with other garbage." He added, "Some of it could have been sucked into the dust collector. The buried particles could have dissolved as there was heavy rainfall in the region after the accident." Only the copper container which held the uranium samples has been retrieved. The uranium consisted of 1.9 kg of natural uranium and 0.8 kg of depleted uranium, as well as 0.2 grams of enriched uranium (at an enrichment level of about 10%). The ministry stressed that the radioactivity of the samples was very low and would be harmless to humans.
Further information
South Korean Ministry of Science and Technology
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
WNA's Nuclear Power in Korea information paper
WNN: KAERI sends uranium to incinerator
