By I really hope that the Korean government has done an accurate estimation of how big tsunami waves can reach in the East Sea because a 4.2 meter sea wall seems pretty small compared to what we saw happen in Fukushima:
South Korea said it will double the height of sea walls protecting its oldest nuclear reactor to quell unease about the risks of atomic power, drawing on the lessons of the Fukushima disaster in Japan.
“Who could have imagined a worst-case scenario like Fukushima,” said Chang Soon Heung, a nuclear scientist at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, who advised the government on safety after radiation leaks in Japan. “We couldn’t remain satisfied with current requirements. Citizens’ expectations for safety standards are high.”
South Korea, which aims to generate more than half its electricity from nuclear energy, faces calls from opposition lawmakers to decommission the oldest reactor and stop building new ones. Residents in the town of Samcheok last month reversed course on a bid to build reactors in their community while more than 120 schools in the region surrounding Seoul closed on April 7 on concern that radiation from Japan could contaminate rain.
State-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., which operates the nation’s four nuclear power stations, will lead a 5-year, 1 trillion won ($922 million) safety upgrade, Lee Ju Ho, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, said on May 6.
Walls protecting the Kori No. 1 reactor, which sits about 5.8 meters (19 feet) above sea level and began operation in 1978, will be raised to more than 4.2 meters, from the current 1.7 meters, Minister Lee said. The wave that pummeled the Fukushima plant on March 11 was as high as 15 meters. [Bloomberg]
7:10 pm on May 12th, 2011 1
I do remember news of a large wave pulling a tourist off a pier in Jumunjin – a little north of Samcheok- so maybe you have reason to worry about the height of the new wall. On the other hand, Japan’s location protects Korea from most such waves. There is some reason to accept the 4.2 metre wall.
8:22 pm on May 12th, 2011 2
“A meter of prevention is worth a terabecquerel of cure.”
- Me, 2011
11:30 pm on May 12th, 2011 3
Seems like a waste of money to me. Given the location of the nearest fault, for a tsunami to hit the East Coast, it would have to first make it over Japan since the fault is east of Japan without losing any momentum.
11:32 pm on May 12th, 2011 4
Damned, I hit submit too soon. That was supposed to be. “…for a tsunami to hit the East Coast, it would have to first make it over Japan without losing any momentum and then travel the distance between the two coasts.”
4:23 am on May 13th, 2011 5
Tsunamis have hit Korea before. What they are concerned about is if a large earthquake was centered on the northwest side of Japan.
http://www.eco-business.com/news/simulation-shows-perils-of-tsunami-sweeping-korean-nuclear-plants/
5:02 am on December 18th, 2011 6
[...] have caused think tanks in Korea to really wonder what their new market position is for food and general safety (but perhaps that’s food for thought for the entire [...]