The Korean Final Repository for Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste

The underground waste repository site is located at Gyeongju and is selected for the disposal of all the Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste (LILW). Its operation is scheduled in the beginning of 2009. The repository, with a disposal capacity of 800,000 drums, will be constructed in granite bedrock near the seashore at the Gyeongju site. The repository will be constructed in phases to reach its final capacity of 800,000 drums. In the first phase of construction, the repository will have a capacity to dispose of 100,000 drums. The first phase of the repository design consists of an access shaft, a construction tunnel, an operating tunnel, an unloading tunnel, and six (6) silos. The silos are located at 80 to 130 meters below Mean Sea Level (MSL), in bedrock. Each silo is 24.8m in diameter and 52.4m in height. The silo will be reinforced with shotcrete, rockbolts and concrete lining for rock supports, and the lining will also act as an engineered barrier to limit radioactive nuclide release after closure. After serving its intended function the repository will be backfilled and sealed. The primary objective of backfilling and sealing is to prevent ground-water flow into the silos through the tunnel system and to prevent inadvertent intrusion into the repository after closure.