The Colloid Formation and Migration (CFM) international joint research initiative continues as a part of the GTS’s Radionuclide Retardation Programme, which has been in progress since 1984. This project focuses on examining the formation of colloids from a bentonite-engineered barrier system and exploring how these colloids impact the migration of radionuclides in fractured host rock when subjected to advective flow. Phase 1 of the project was launched in 2004 and concluded in early 2008, focusing on preliminary studies related to in-situ boundary conditions, predicting models, and supplementary lab works. Following that, Phase 2 spanned from 2008 to 2013 and aimed at fortifying the field setup by adding three new monitoring boreholes and suitable instrumentation in both the boreholes and tunnel. This phase also tested the system’s resilience while mapping the flow domain. Phase 3 kicked off in January 2014 and extended until December 2018. During this period, the Long-term In-situ Test (LIT) was introduced in May 2014, featuring a set of compacted bentonite rings laced with radionuclide tracers. These were placed in a borehole to serve as a colloid and radionuclide source. CFM Phase 4 initiative commenced in January 2019, marking the successful deployment of the i-BET (In-situ Bentonite Erosion Test). This project component involves placing approximately 50 kg of compacted bentonite in a natural water-conducting shear zone. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) joined CFM in 2008 to examine the behavior of colloid generation and migration with radionuclides in the Underground Research Laboratory. The fourth phase of the CFM project was also scheduled to include a post-mortem evaluation of the LIT and additional tracer experiments in the well-mapped MI shear zone. This study aims to provide an interim update on the ongoing i-BET, a key component of Phase 4 of the CFM project. We will also discuss the current status of the post-mortem analysis for the LIT experiment. In addition, we will outline plans for the forthcoming Phase VI of the project. These plans will continue to advance our understanding of radionuclide migration and the influence of bentonite-based disposal systems.

Strategic item export control aims to maintain international peace and safety and serves as a significant nuclear non-proliferation regime that directly impacts a nation’s security. Therefore, establishing an autonomous export control system at the state level is crucial, and one of the most efficient methods to achieve this is by enhancing an export company’s management system. Accordingly, many advanced countries, such as the United States, Europe, and Japan, have operated their own internal compliance programs (CP or ICP) to manage and screen the export of strategic items as a corporate social responsibility and risk mitigation measure. In Korea, which has a high dependence on trade, the need for CP was continuously confirmed, but the system was introduced in 2004, relatively late compared to other advanced countries. So far, the Korean government has made steady efforts to develop and establish the system and is actively encouraging businesses to obtain Compliance Program certification to autonomously manage strategic items. Major technologically advanced countries utilize technology transfer as a tool for economic sanctions, trade security, and strategic technology management, and they continue to strengthen their control regimes. In these countries, CP certification is considered a standard practice for export control among mid-sized and large enterprises. It serves as a vital risk management system that protects companies from unforeseen incidents. However, in Korea, the application of CP under the Foreign Trade Act is limited to dual-use items and does not extend to the nuclear export control system. Therefore, this paper analyzes international cases and CP requirements in countries like the United States, Japan, Europe, and Singapore. As a result of the review, the application of CP into Korea’s nuclear export control could be a coexistence means that can strengthen supply chain control as well as provide benefits not to impede technical research, international trade, and exchanges.

In recent times, drone technology has been rapidly advancing and becoming increasingly popular. Furthermore, there has been an increase in the number of crimes and terrorism cases targeting national facilities using drones. This study aims to categorize the types of drone threats that could pose future risks to nuclear power plants. For this study, we are investigating domestic and foreign drone terrorism cases and identifying the specifications of drones used. It has been confirmed that products from Chinese DJI companies have frequently appeared as commercial drones used in terrorism. This suggests that conversion of general commercial drones into weapons can be effectively utilized for terrorist activities. There is an elevated risk of terrorism involving multiple small drones. Nuclear power plants must also devise protective measures against a large influx of drones. Additionally, it is predicted that North Korea is developing drones equipped with return technology through GPS-based autonomous mission flights. North Korea’s drones are presumed to have been converted from Chinese drones (SKY-09P, UV10CAM, etc.). According to the analysis based on the weight and size of the drone, drones weighting less than 150 kg and wingspan of less than 3 m are used for terrorism. To effectively detect drones, it is necessary to implement measures such as integrating and deploying various equipment to compensate for equipment limitations (radio waves, radar, video, sound, etc.). In the case of long-distance flight, a number of fixed-wing drones capable of autonomous mission flight and long-distance flight were used. North Korea’s drones use GPS-based autonomous mission flights, so it is necessary to prepare drones that do not transmit RF signals to detect them. Both RF signal detection and GPS jamming should be carried out, with GPS jamming taking precedence, even in the case of fixedwing drones. The results of this study could contribute to enhancing the level of physical protection of nuclear power plants.

It has been 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, and South Korea is one of China’s most important trade partners in Northeast Asia. However, with the change in manufacturing competitiveness, the global value chain position of China and South Korea, and the rise of anti-globalization and trade protectionism, the trade between China and South Korea has also suffered a significant impact. This paper first used the international market share and trade specialization coefficient to make a quantitative comparison of the competitiveness of the primary industries of China and South Korea. Then it measured the trade integration index and export product similarity index of China and South Korea. It is found that: although China and South Korea have a particular competitive relationship in the main industrial fields, the differences in their respective areas of strength are significant, and the two countries show a good complementarity of resources. Therefore, China and South Korea should abandon suspicion, strengthen mutual trust, further optimize the trade structure between the two countries, make use of the framework of the regional agreement of RCEP, support China and South Korean enterprises to jointly develop the third-party market, and maintain and consolidate China-South Korea relations to promote the long-term development of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

According to IAEA PRIS, there is no record of dismantling commercial heavy water reactors among 57 heavy water reactors around the world. In Canada, which has the largest number of heavy water reactors, three of the 22 commercial heavy water reactors with more than 500 MW are permanently suspended, Gentilly unit 2 (2012), Pickering unit 2 (2007), and Pickering unit 3 (2008), all of which chose a delayed decommissioning strategy. On the other hand, Wolsong unit 1, which will be the world’s first heavy water reactor to be dismantled commercially, will be immediately carried out as a decommissioning strategy. KHNP has established various cooperation systems with advanced companies and international organizations related to overseas NPP decommission and is actively exchanging technologies. Among them, the most important focus is on research cooperation related to COG (CANDU owners Group). The first case is a joint study on Conceptual Calandria Segmentation. Four areas of process, waste management, ALARA, and cost for decommissioning reactors to be submitted to Canadian regulators for approval of Pickering and Gentilly-2’s preliminary decommissioning plan have been evaluated, and research on Wolsong unit 1 is currently underway. The second case is Decommissioning and long-term waste management R&D. Although the technical maturity is low, it studies the common interests of member companies in the decommissioning of heavy water reactor power generation companies and long-term waste management. Robotics for dismantling high-radiation structures, C- 14, H-3 measurement and removal methods, and concrete decontamination technology, which are characterized by heavy water, are being actively studied. KHNP is strengthening international cooperation with COG to prepare for the successful decommissioning of Wolsong unit 1. Based on previous studies by Pickering and Gentilly-2, an evaluation of the decommissioning of Wolsong unit 1 reactor is being conducted. In addition, it is preparing for decommissioning through experience analysis of the pressure tube replacement project.

Currently, in the United States, Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is stored at the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs) at 73 Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). The SNF inventory stored on-site either in pools or dry storage was 84,500 MTU in 2020. The inventory stored in on-site dry storage facilities was 39,207 MTU (46% of the total), and it is growing at a rate of approximately 3,500 MTUs per year. However, because a site for geologic repository for permanent disposal of SNF has not been constructed in the U.S., the SNF will need to be stored in dry storage facilities across the U.S. for a much longer period of time than originally planned. During this time, the dry storage facilities could experience earthquakes of a different magnitude than the one for which they were originally designed. However, there is little data on the response of SNF inside dry storage systems to seismic loads in the U.S., and the various gaps and nonlinearities between storage containers, canisters, baskets, aggregates, and fuel make it very difficult to evaluate by analytical methods. Therefore, a full-scale shake table test is being planned as an international joint research project led by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in the U.S. In Korea, KNF decided to participate in this seismic test through the project of SNF integrity evaluation under road and sea normal transportation conditions organized by KNF and conducted by KORAD, KAERI, and Kyung-Hee University, and has provided the KNF 17ACE7 and PLUS7 test assemblies for the tests to SNL. The test will be conducted at the LHPOST6 shake table test facility operated by University of California in San Diego (UCSD) from 2023 to 2024, with the participation of KNF, CRI, and KAERI in Korea. The test units consist of a NUHOMS 32 PTH2 canister, a mockup of a generic vertical cask, a mockup of a generic horizontal storage module, 4 surrogate fuel assemblies, and 28 dummy assemblies. The seismic inputs for the tests will consist of ground motions (acceleration time histories) representative of hard rock, soft rock, and soil sites and seismic conditions in moderately tectonically active Central and Eastern US and highly tectonically active Western US. Ground accelerations for soft rock and soil conditions will be developed taking in account soil-structure interaction. Not only is this test almost impossible to conduct independently in Korea in terms of scale, facilities and costs, but it is also considered an essential test for those of us who are preparing for dry storage of spent nuclear fuel, given the increasing social concern about earthquakes due to the recent earthquake in Turkey.

China and South Korea, as countries belonging to the East Asian cultural circle, have always attached great importance to education service trade. Nowadays, economic diversification has become the trend of world development, education service trade has become an important factor affecting the comprehensive strength competition between countries. China and the ROK are close in geographical location and have profound cultural origins. Over the years, the two countries have conducted fruitful bilateral cultural exchanges. This paper takes China and South Korea as the research object, and the comparative study of Sino-South Korea education service trade is of great significance to promote the development of China’s cultural products and service trade. Enhancing the competitiveness of China’s trade in cultural products and services can further improve China’s cultural soft power, so as to improve the development strategy of service trade and enhance its international influence in the context of China’s economic globalization.

The ongoing impact of global inflation, economic pressures and the current complex international geopolitical and trade situation have created new challenges for international settlement activities, including debt recovery. One of the characteristics of international documentary collections is to obtain payment mainly relies on the commercial credit of the payer, rather than the bank’s bank credit, so the risk is relatively high. We use the typical stationery misuse -- from the perspective of export companies -- to analyze the problems and risks of stationery itself, and put forward relevant measures to avoid and evade risks. We hope that practitioners living in this field can learn from it.

The RCEP rules are the basic guarantee for the settlement of international trade competition disputes. Only by establishing fair competition in relevant markets can the objectives of the Free trade Agreement be fully realized. Therefore, we should study the RCEP rules and summarize the shortcomings of the RCEP rules. In view of these deficiencies, a scientific and reasonable solution to the RCEP international competition dispute settlement rules will be found to solve the practical difficulties existing in the relevant rules of international competition dispute settlement, so as to promote the better realization of the objectives and purposes of international competition dispute settlement, and ultimately provide a fair market environment for further promoting the development of foreign trade of all countries.

With the development of the times, Chinese traditional culture not only has a positive impact on the economy, but also restricts the development of the economy. The cultural heritage and development of a country depends to a certain extent on its own strength. Traditional culture is cultural and national, but also non-renewable. In the current international trade, traditional culture and international trade are mutually influenced, and the relationship between the two is inseparable. The position of cultural industry and related cultural commodities in international trade is becoming more and more important. Under the influence of economic globalization, the international cultural product trade market is constantly expanding, and a series of problems arising from this need to be highly valued. We should strengthen cultural exchanges, promote the development of economic exchanges, reduce differences between languages, and attach importance to the development of science and technology. Only with good material life and advanced science and technology can cultural trade have a considerable market and attractiveness. At the same time, the problem of cultural barriers cannot be underestimated. Traditional culture needs to be managed carefully, and one’s own culture needs to be carefully maintained. Only by fully protecting traditional culture and making it continue to develop can we continue to create traditional cultural products.

Colloid Formation and Migration (CFM) project is being carried out within the Grimsel Test Site (GTS) Phase Ⅵ. Since 2008, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has joined CFM to investigate the behavior of colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport in a generic Underground Research Laboratory (URL). The CFM project includes a long-term in-situ test (LIT) and an in-rock bentonite erosion test (i-BET) to assess the in-situ colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport through the bentonite erosion in the natural flow field. In the LIT experiment, radionuclide-containing compacted bentonite was equipped with a triple-packer system and then positioned at the borehole in the shear zone. It was observed that colloid transport was limited owing to the low swelling pressure and low hydraulic conductivity. Therefore, a postmortem analysis is being conducted to estimate the partial migration and diffusion of radionuclides. The i-BET experiment, that focuses more on bentonite erosion, was newly designed to assess colloid formation in another flow field. The i-BET experiment started with the placement of compacted bentonite rings in the double-packer system, and the hydraulic parameters and bentonite erosion have been monitored since December 2018.

Surface contaminants may attach to surfaces or objects in the radiation controlled area to cause radiation exposure, or spread out to the general environment by person and object exiting the radiation workplace. Accordingly, in radiological safety control, surface contamination monitoring is one of the important factors in workplace monitoring. When obtaining the measurement results for the monitoring, the results are accompanied by uncertainty since measurements contain numerous errors. Accordingly, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published the ISO 7503 series which is comprehensive and detailed guidelines on the measurement and evaluation of surface contamination. ISO 7503-3 especially presents a mathematical model for the contamination measurement and provide calculation guidelines on measurement uncertainty evaluation, decision threshold and detection limit. This paper is focused on reevaluating and comparing the surface contamination monitoring method applied to radiation safety management practice and its results based on the measurement and evaluation method set by the International Organization for Standardization. The evaluation was performed in accordance with ISO 7503, and the current reporting method for measurement results was compared with the method recommended in ISO 11929 publication.

Many countries have been developing their own FEP (Feature, Event, Process) lists to formulate radionuclide release scenarios in deep disposal repository of spent nuclear fuels and to assess the safety. The main issue in developing a FEP list is to ensure its completeness and comprehensiveness in examining all plausible scenarios of radionuclide release in a repository of interest. To this end, the NEA International FEP (IFEP) list as a generic reference have been developed and updated through long-term international collaborations. Leading countries advanced in the research field of deep geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuels have comparatively mapped their project-specific FEP (PFEP) lists with the IFEP list. Recently in 2019, NEA has published an updated version of IFEP list (ver. 3.0) which has a different classification system: the IFEP version 3.0 has the five main categories including the waste package, repository, geosphere, biosphere and external factors while the previous IFEP versions were mainly classified into the external, environmental, and contaminant factors. Most leading countries in this field, Finland and Sweden, recently succeeded to obtain the design and/or construction licenses for deep geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Therefore, their PFEP lists should be good benchmark cases to the following countries. However, their PFEP lists have not comparatively mapped with the most recent version of IFEP and thus some gaps may exist in showing completeness and comprehensiveness in comparison to the IFEP version 3.0. In this study, we comparatively map the PFEP lists of Finland and Sweden to the IFEP version 3.0. The comparatively mapped PFEP list could be used as the basis for verifying the comprehensiveness and completeness of the domestic PFEP list currently under development in Korea.

China and South Korea are both east Asian foreign trade giants. From ancient times to the present, the trade between China and Korea is very intensive. In recent years, the total bilateral trade between China and South Korea has fluctuated due to political and economic influences, but China has been South Korea’s largest foreign trade partner for 17 consecutive years，but the trade disputes between China and South Korea are gradually increasing, there are also many Chinese traders affected by the policy, economic losses. To sum up, this paper is based on the economic trade between China and South Korea. In summary, trade exchanges between China and South Korea will be affected in many ways in an era of increasingly complex international situations, and this article will start from these aspects and propose some solutions (ERD, 2022).

The continuous development of international logistics of China and Korea trade have influence, because of the geographical position advantage of the two countries, the trade is very convenient, in this paper, based on the development of international logistics trade of China and Korea are expounded, and put forward the development strategy, including perfecting the infrastructure, strengthen personnel training, strengthening the technical cooperation efficiency, promote bilateral trade contacts.

본고는 RCEP(《역내포괄적경제동반협정이다》)의 개황과 주요 내용을 소개하였다. 이어서 중국, 아세안, 일본, 호주의 새로운 등 국가의 인구, 무역 데이터 등 정보에 근거하여 현재 국내 국제 풍운이 변화하는 형세와 쌍순환의 새로운 발전 구조에서 RCEP협정이 중국 국제 무역 경제 발전에 미친 영향을 분석했다. 본고는 다섯 가지 측면의 영향을 정리했다. 첫째, 중국의 개방 정도가 더욱 향상될 것이다. 둘째, 새로운 발전 구조에 대해 강력한 지지를 형성했다. 셋째, 중국 자유무역지대 네트워크의'금 함유량'을 향상시킨다. 넷째, 국민의 물질적 생활과 정신적 생활 수준을 향상시킨다. 다섯째, 기업에 더 많은 발전 기회를 가져온다.

In Korea, Starting with the permanent shutdown of Kori Unit1, decommissioning of commercial nuclear power plant is underway. Although various technologies are required to decommissioning a nuclear power plant, the most important technology is the characterization of radioactive waste. In particular, it is possible to establish an accurate decommissioning plan and estimate cost for radioactive waste through accurate characterization of reactor vessel (RV), reactor vessel internal (RVI) and bioshield, which are highly activated waste. In Slovakia’s V1 nuclear power plant, two units were shutdown in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and decommissioning license was approved in July 2011. Before approving the decommissioning license, the decommissioning database project was carried out from 2008 to 2011. At this time, radioactive evaluation was performed through sampling and radiological analysis of radioactive structures.

During the decommissioning of nuclear power plant (NPP), massive amount of concrete wastes is generated, which are non-radioactive and radioactive. The concrete is a representative construction material which affords reliable structural stability, good formability, and trustful integrity. Also, its reasonable neutron absorbing property allows the various application for many components, including building construction material, bio-shield concrete, etc. Due to the noted aspects of concrete, the radiological concrete characterization is classified as an important process for development of effective strategy for concrete management, in terms of process management and financial control during the decommissioning. The characterization of bio-shield concrete is important in waste management. The understanding and characterization of activation depth is essential for the determination of waste management strategy, classification of bio-shield concrete, and process development of decommissioning. On the other hand, concrete for construction application requires the evaluation of surface contamination of them. The concrete for containment building and its structure is rarely activated, but surface contaminated. In this paper, the reactor data from representative PWR reactors in the US is studied. The experience on Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, and Connecticut Yankee NPPs are systematically studied. The Yankee Rowe was a 4-loop PWR of Westinghouse design with 185 MWe. The Main Yankee was a 3- loop PWR of Combustion Engineering design with 864 MWe. The Connecticut Yankee was a 4-loop Westinghouse type with 560 MWe. The characterization studies on bio-shield concrete will be discussed in this paper, including activation depth, primary nuclides, etc.

Comprehensive identification and systematic classification of all features, events and processes (FEP) that influence on the performance of a high-level radioactive waste disposal system is essential for safety assessment. Nuclear energy agency (NEA) has been developing and updating the standardized generic FEP list, so-called NEA international FEP list, which may be used as the basis to develop project-specific FEP lists to reflect diverse system and site characteristics in different countries. On the basis, Finland and Sweden have recently got licenses to construct spent nuclear fuel deep disposal facilities. Also in Korea, timely construction of a high-level radioactive waste disposal facility is an urgent issue for stable operation of nuclear power plants. For this end, a FEP list that properly considers for system and site characteristics of Korean high-level radioactive waste disposal facility needs to be developed. In this study, the most recent NEA international FEP list published in 2019 was comprehensively reviewed with focus on the structure of the classification system and the physicochemical mechanisms associated with the key elements. The obtained results will be used for the comparative analysis of domestic and oversea project-specific FEP lists and for the development of a generic FEP list relevant to Korean high-level radioactive waste disposal system.

The nuclear facilities sites handling radioactive materials are contaminated due to accidents or its activities. Since the experimental reactor was operated in Idaho, USA in 1951, nuclear power and its related activities were carried out in many countries. Thus, the legacy sites in which radioactive materials have been deposited are a matter of public concern. As a result of the operation of facilities related to the use of nuclear energy, it is faced with the restoration of the environment containing radioactive wastes. In particular, the activities carried out in the early years caused its contamination of the sites and areas with significant releases of fission products and natural radioactive wastes adventitiously or intentionally due to the lack of its technology and the unclear radiation risks. In addition, nuclear weapons tests conducted in the 1950s and 1960s and the Chernobyl power plant accident in 1986 caused radioactive contamination in the Pacific Ocean and extensive territories in Europe. Accordingly, the IAEA discussed the restoration of the contaminated areas at the conference on the radiation legacy of the 20th Century in terms of environmental restoration (RADLEG-2000) held at Moscow, Russia in October 2000 and its cases from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were reported. Also, the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has discussed the potential issues on the legacy sites occurring radioactive materials and suggested that these sites should be managed in an open, transparent and consistent manner in order to build sustainable solutions with trust. However, there is currently no overall regulatory system for the management of legacy sites in Korea. The TRIGA Mark-II research reactor, which was commissioned in 1962, was decontaminated and dismantled in 1997. As such, it is necessary to consider the regulatory system related to the existing legacy site. Most of all, the legacy site management and regulatory standards of facilities that have operated in the past and are not currently operating or that deal with natural radioactive materials should be established. Also, the dismantling of NK’s nuclear facilities and management of related radioactive waste, particularly NK’s uranium mines and refining facilities particularly at Pyongsan and Bakcheon in NK are one of the key issue on the North Korea’s denuclearization. In this study, the international standards on the reuse of the legacy site after dismantling are analyzed, and its regulatory considerations used for domestic application are suggested.