Author Archives: Saegan

Handbook to Support Assessment of Radiological Risk Arising From Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel

Commercial nuclear power plants around the world harness nuclear fission to produce electricity. At each plant, a fission reactor receives fresh nuclear fuel and discharges spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Although the SNF is “spent”, it contains a large amount of radioactive material. Some of that material could be released to the environment by an accident or an attack, causing harm to humans by exposing them to ionizing radiation. The potential for such harm is the “radiological risk” associated with SNF. Independent assessment of this risk could help societies to manage the risk. This report is designed as a handbook that could be used to support such independent assessment. The report has two main parts. The first part provides introductory material, and the second part sets forth a seven-step approach to assessing SNF radiological risk.

Gordon D. Thompson, Phil., is currently the executive director of Institute for Resource and Security Studies in Cambridge, MA. In addition, he serves as Research Professor, George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University, Worcester, Massachussetts.

This handbook was produced for of the Institute’s Resilience and Security of Spent Fuel in East Asia project with the support of the John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation.

Core US-ROK Issues

Philip Yun writes: “While the actual events leading to a unified Korea are virtually impossible to forecast, it is safe to assume (barring unforeseen or catastrophic events) that the Korean Peninsula, politically and economically, will eventually come to resemble South Korea’s current democratic government and open-market economy. The question is simply, when? Managing the Korean Peninsula’s transition — from status quo to an unknown, but more peaceful and stable regional Northeast Asian system — therefore becomes essential.”

Philip Yun is the Executive Director and COO of the Ploughshares Fund.

This report was originally presented at the New Approach to Security in Northeast Asia: Breaking the Gridlock workshop held on October 9th and 10th, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Regional Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Energy Security Cooperation in Support of a Regional NWFZ

David von Hippel writes: “A regional approach to nuclear materials security could have positive spillover effects beyond a NWFZ. Creating and monitoring a regional nuclear materials regime could be a core function of a permanent council on security established as part of a comprehensive Treaty on Peace and Security in Northeast Asia.”

David von Hippel is a Nautilus Institute Associate.

This report was originally presented at the New Approach to Security in Northeast Asia: Breaking the Gridlock workshop.

Why is the Korean Peninsula Trapped in a Vicious Circle of Permanent Crisis?

Vorontsov writes: “Most media, while painting a vivid picture of North Korea’s militancy, does not help readers to understand why the conflict in Korea is escalating so dramatically. When they do try, they usually name Pyongyang as the instigator of all the troubles, stressing that it was North Korea’s third nuclear test that triggered the “nightmare”. Without any approval whatsoever of Pyongyang’s overreaction to the UNSC Resolution 2094 and its belligerent rhetoric and disproportionate moves, it is urgent to examine the real, underlying causes of what is commonly referred to as “the Korean problem”.”

Alexander Vorontsov is currently the head of the Department for Korean and Mongolian Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russia Academy of Sciences and the MGIMO-University Oriental Studies Sub-faculty associate professor.

China no tiene la influencia ni el interés para resolver la crisis con Corea del Norte, Jose Reinoso, EL PAÍS,

Peter Hayes es cofundador y director de Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, un grupo de pensamiento no gubernamental, con sede en Berkeley (California), especializado en Asia, en particular, en Corea del Norte. También es profesor de Relaciones internacionales en el Instituto Real de Tecnología de Melbourne (Australia), la ciudad en la que nació. Hayes pasa revista en una entrevista por correo electrónico a la situación de la crisis en la península coreana, y prevé que “para junio, las aguas estarán relativamente tranquilas y se reanudará algún tipo de diálogo” entre Washington y Pyongyang. Hayes tiene doble nacionalidad, australiana y estadounidense.

North Korea’s fury at US-South Korea war games goes back decades, News.com.au

A quieter US approach to the joint military drills would have sent the deterrence message Washington wanted “to warn the North Koreans to not walk too close to the edge of chaos. Instead, in the desire to impress the ally (South Korea) that we had their back covered, we decided to escalate the threat symbolism” with the B-2 and B-52 bomber flights, said Peter Hayes, who heads the Nautilus Institute, an Asia-focused think tank.

DPRK Nuclear Energy in the Context of a Proposed Peace Settlement

Squassoni writes: “This memorandum explores the contours of nuclear energy in the DPRK as part of a comprehensive peace settlement. It assumes: a) DPRK must rejoin NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state and must ratify the Additional Protocol; b) DPRK is likely to press for the right to nuclear power in any settlement; c) limitations may not be equally applied across all non-nuclear-weapon states (vice Halperin paper); and d) there are no guarantees against proliferation, even in a unified Korea.”

Sharon Squassoni is a Senior Fellow & Director of the Proliferation Prevention Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

This report was originally presented at the New Approach to Security in Northeast Asia: Breaking the Gridlock workshop.