Cheju Island found unpolluted by radioactivity

Cheju-do, the southernmost island of Korea, was found unpolluted by radioactivity, it was announced Monday (June 25).

The survey was conducted for three days from June 23 by SR Korea, a private radioactive experts’ group, in cooperation with regional environment organizations in the island.

According to SR Korea, people have worried about the possible contamination of the resort island by radioactivity since the explosion of nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, last year due to their geographycal proximity. The survey has dispelled the lingering worry held by the people, it said. 

The SR Korea, represented by Hwang Sang-kyu, said that the survey, conducted on various spots of the island to see if any of them were contaminated by radioacivity, confirmed that the whole island, a noted international resort where millions of foreign toruists visit, remains clean.

It further revealed that the average level of radioactivity per an hour in the island stood at 0.09 – 0.12 μSv/h, far lower than the average level in Seoul, found to be 0.15 – 0.21μSv in earlier this month.

The survey team was said to have used two different kinds of measuring instrument – Terra-C of Ukraine and Inspector Alert of U.S. – in the survey to enhance the accuracy of the measurement.

Hwang, head of the SR Korea, told reporters that “the lack of constant monitoring system in Cheju-do and the possibility of contamination through the marine products being imported from Japan are cause for concern in connection with the radioactivity.

Lee Yong-ung, secretary-general of the Cheju Environment Confederation, said “the survey was significant in that it was the first full-fledged radioactivity check across the whole island. The fact that the island was found clean should be publicized widely and ways to keep it clean should also be sought incesssantly.”

 Hong Yong-chol, representative of a regional environment group, said that “we are pleased to find that Cheju-do is clean at a time when the island is expected to have 10 million tourists a year shortly.” He also added that “it is conducive to the development of Cheju-do to keep the image of clean island.”

 Anyone who are interested in it can have the survey result downloaded free of charge through App store “RadMap.”

 The survey team plans to continue the radioactivity check regularly in Gori, Wolsung, Uljin and Yongkwang where the nuclear power plants are located in the days to come.

Lee Sang-hyun coup4u@theasian.asia