Radioactive leakage from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan has raised concerns among travelers as to whether or not Korea is still a safe travel destination. Korea is approximately 12,000 km away from the Fukushima nuclear power plant and has NOT been affected by radiation from the recent crisis.
Following recent events in Japan, scientists have been hard at work conducting research to analyze the possibility of radioactive materials spreading to Korea. After careful analysis of the findings, experts agree that there is little chance that radioactive materials would reach Korea due to a variety of factors, including the fact that the predominant winds blow from west to east.
Experts have assured both residents and visitors that Korea is SAFE from the threat of radiation from Japan.
Below are the results of a simulation conducted by the Korea Meteorological Administration to analyze any possible impact on Korea in case of a radiation leakage from the damaged Japanese nuclear power plant.
1. Winds closer to the Earth’s surface blow from west to east (from Korean to Japan) and do not reach the high speeds that would be necessary to carry radioactive materials for a distance greater than 1,000 km. Even if ground winds were able to reach these incredibly high speeds, radioactive partials would be blocked by geographical obstacles, such as Japan’s mountainous terrain.
2. For any radioactive particles to be carried over a distance of more than 1,000 km, they would need to be carried by the strong winds higher up into the atmosphere (~2km). At this level of altitude, the prevailing winds are the Westerlies, which blow from west to east all year round.
3. If radioactive materials were to be shot up into the air (such as in an explosion) and reached the jet stream 10 km above the surface, they could flow into Korea only after circling the entire Earth from west to east and returning back to Korea.
According to an expert at the Korea Meteorological Administration, radiation from Fukushima is in gaseous form, making it highly unlikely that it could rise so far up into the air. Even in the off chance that radiation could make its way into the jet stream, it would pose no threat since most of the radiation would be lost during the 2 weeks it would take for the particles to circle the Earth back to Korea.
The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology has said that no radioactive materials were found in any of the rain samples collected from twelve locations nationwide on March 12th. The Integrated Environmental Radiation Monitoring Network with its 70 monitoring stations nationwide is checking the nation’s real-time radiation levels and reporting the results twice daily at 2:00 and 14:00. As of March 25th 9 a.m. the radiation level in Korea remains normal and shows no signs of being affected by the radioactive materials released from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Meanwhile, Korea is making active fundraising and rescue efforts for the victims of the earthquake in Japan. An increasing number of foreigners in Japan are seeking refuge in Korea after the nuclear crisis, and Korea remains an environmentally safe travel destination for tourists.
Link: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1243045
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