Korea Struggles to Find Lost Uranium

By Kim Tae-gyu

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is having a hard time searching for 2.7 kilograms of uranium sent to an incinerator by accident in May.

The state-run institute learned of the grave mistake on Aug. 6 and formed a task force to find the material that had drawn the attention of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Included in the missing material are 1.9 kilograms of natural uranium and 0.8 kilograms of depleted uranium as well as 0.2 grams of enriched uranium, which is still being investigated by the IAEA.

“Uranium doesn’t burn. So the uranium in question should remain intact at the waste dump. Our staff members will look hard for it,” a KAERI spokesman said.

“But the hitch is that the uranium was processed months ago and is smaller than the size of a golf ball. We are afraid that it may take months to find it,” he said.

This means that the KAERI may be unable to meet the request of an IAEA inspector, who visited the Daejeon-based KAERI Tuesday in order to examine the enriched uranium, to find the lost material by the end of the month.

However, KAERI does not seem overly concerned.

“We are not required to report the loss of such a tiny amount of uranium to the IAEA. But we reported the matter because it was examined by the IAEA,” the spokesman said.

“Even under the worst-case scenario _ our failure to find the uranium _ the IAEA is not expected to take serious issue with it,” he said.

The 0.2 grams of enriched uranium, which has an enrichment level of approximately 10 percent, was made in an experiment to obtain substances used for high-end medical equipment in 2000.

The material was uncovered in 2004, but KAERI argued that the low-enriched uranium had nothing to do with weapons, which use highly-enriched uranium.

However, the IAEA sent an investigation team to Korea in 2004 to check the material. In this climate, KAERI staff disposed of the uranium in error while the IAEA investigation is technically still ongoing.

voc200@koreatimes.co.kr

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