Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) established in 2009 has started a new project to collect information on long-term stability and deep geological environment in the Korean Peninsula. The data has been built up in the KORAD integrated natural barrier database system (KOINS). KOINS also includes socially and economically important information, such as land use, mining area, natural conservation area, population density, and industrial complex, because the information is used as exclusionary criteria at the site selection process of geological repository. It is believed that the KOINS will be effectively utilized to narrow down the number of sites where future investigation is required in the siting process of geological repository.
Geological disposal has been recognized world-widely as one of the safest methods in the light of isolating the spent nuclear fuel permanently from human and environment. Accordingly, it is required not only to understand the geological phenomena of geotectonic movements but also to perform its long-term prediction at least more than 100 thousand years for the purpose of the deep disposal.
The many studies for a high-level radioactive waste geological repository reported the fundamental requirements with an emphasis on the long term safety aspects (Gordon, 2002). According to these studies, siting factors can be divided four main categories:
safety,
technology,
land and environment, and
Societal aspects.
The safety aspect means siting factors of importance for the long-term safety of the deep repository (SKB, 1993). The technology aspect is siting factors of importance for the construction, performance and safe operation. The land and environmental aspect indicates siting factors of importance for land use and general environmental impact. Lastly, the societal aspects are siting factors connected to political considerations and community impact. There are fundamental requirements that must be met by a deep repository.
