South Korea to Launch National Radiation Monitoring Center in 2027

The South Korean government reviewed and approved the "2027 Budget Plan" at a cabinet meeting on September 1. According to the budget arrangement, South Korea will launch the National Radiation Monitoring Center in 2027 to centrally collect and manage national environmental and marine radioactive information; simultaneously, it will expand the Nuclear Safety Information Sharing Center to strengthen direct communication with residents near nuclear power plants.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) has allocated 1.4 billion KRW for the construction and operation of the National Radiation Monitoring Center. The project aims to strengthen the environmental radioactivity monitoring and analysis system to address regulatory demands arising from the expansion of domestic nuclear power utilization in South Korea and the increased operation and construction of nuclear facilities in neighboring countries.

The National Radiation Monitoring Center is scheduled to launch in February 2027, based on the existing "Central Radiation Measurement Station" located at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS). The new center will be responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and assessing radioactive materials in the national environment and marine areas, as well as conducting nuclear accident impact assessments. If overseas nuclear facility impacts pose a high risk of radioactive contamination within South Korean territory, the NSSC may also conduct contamination surveys.

The center will also enhance sample analysis capabilities, including direct identification and quantitative analysis of radionuclides in samples collected from domestic water bodies and areas surrounding nuclear power plants. South Korea plans to improve the overall competency of domestic analytical institutions through proficiency testing, personnel training, and technical support.

Radioactivity data for the environment, atmosphere, and seawater, currently managed in a dispersed manner, will also be integrated into a unified system. The NSSC plans to build a comprehensive information system to strengthen correlation analysis between different data sets and expand public disclosure, prioritizing the release of radioactive information closely related to the daily lives of the public.

In terms of public communication, the NSSC will invest 4.8 billion KRW in nuclear safety information disclosure and communication projects, including the establishment and operation of the Nuclear Safety Information Sharing Center. The NSSC plans to open centers this month in the areas surrounding the four nuclear power plants at Gori, Wolseong, Yeonggwang, and Shin-Wolseong, and to add three more centers in Gochang, Hanul, and Daejeon in 2027, bringing the total to seven.

South Korea will also improve public access to nuclear safety information through online channels. The "Nuclear Safety Information Sharing Portal," which has been continuously upgraded since 2024, is planned to be fully operational in 2027, with the addition of an artificial intelligence-based search function that enables users to search for and verify nuclear safety-related information on the same platform.