A national radiation defense joint drill has been conducted for the first time assuming the simultaneous occurrence of radiological emergency situations at two nuclear power plant sites.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced that it conducted the 2026 National Radiological Defense Joint Drill today (September 10), assuming a radiation leak accident at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and a radiation emergency situation at the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do.

About 2,000 people participated in the drill, including officials from central ministries, local governments, specialized organizations, operators, local related organizations, and local residents.

This drill was conducted by reflecting for the first time a complex disaster scenario where a radiological disaster occurs due to an earthquake at Shin-Wolseong Unit 2, as well as a situation where radiation emergencies occur simultaneously at multiple nuclear plant sites, including Wolseong and Hanul.

To prepare for simultaneous accidents at multiple sites, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission explained that it reorganized and drilled the field response system for simultaneous disasters, such as additionally designating and expanding personnel dispatched from central ministries to the On-Site Radiological Emergency Command Center, as well as field response personnel for environmental radiation monitoring and emergency medical treatment.

In addition, assuming a situation where the Wolseong Emergency Preparedness Center becomes flooded due to aftershocks and it is difficult to perform on-site command functions, a drill was also conducted to relocate the On-Site Radiological Emergency Command Center from Wolseong to the Ulju Metropolitan Center.

Seven basic local governments, including Gyeongju, Pohang, and Jung-gu in Ulsan, along with two metropolitan local governments including Gyeongsangbuk-do and Ulsan, established regional radiological emergency headquarters and inspected the implementation of resident protection measures. Gyeongsangbuk-do established relief shelters at two locations, including the Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium, and conducted resident evacuation drills.

Reflecting for the first time the traffic control guidelines for radiation emergencies established last year, drills were also conducted to expand and establish access control posts at 21 locations, including 18 locations in Gyeongju and 3 locations in Pohang.

(Photo provided by Wolseong Nuclear Headquarters, Yonhap News)