GP Statement Against Taiwan's Plan to Dump N-Waste in N Korea

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

           GREENPEACE STATEMENT AGAINST TAIWAN'S PLAN
              TO DUMP NUCLEAR WASTE IN NORTH KOREA
 
 Greenpeace would like to express its complete opposition to the
plans of the power utility Taipower to ship and dump nuclear
waste in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). 
Greenpeace stands in support of the peaceful activities of
Korean and Taiwanese environmental groups in their campaign to
oppose the dumping plans.
 
The transboundary export of nuclear waste is one of the most
irresponsible acts of the global nuclear industry today. 
Because of ill-considered plans to build and operate nuclear
reactors, governments and industry are confronted with the
problem of nuclear waste.  The health of both people and the
environment of countries producing nuclear waste, receiving it
or along
transport routes are directly effected by these dangerous
wastes.  There is no environmentally safe method of managing
these wastes, and yet the nuclear industry continues to produce
them.  This is just one reason why Greenpeace is opposed to
nuclear energy in all countries.
 
After abusing the people of Lan Yu (Orchid) island with a
nuclear dump and having unsuccessfully searched for a new
dumping ground in the Marshall Islands, Taipower is now seeking
to dump this harmful material on the people of the Korean
Peninsula.
 
The decision of Taipower to conclude a nuclear waste dumping
deal with the DPRK is exploitation, plain and simple.  North
Korea is in an economic crisis, and in the short term
desperately needs funds to buy food and other essentials for her
people.  But in the longer term, North Korea could face an
environmental disaster and the much greater costs of dealing
with poisoned-contaminated land and water supplies, increased
rates of cancer and other health problems.  
 
The sole responsibility for managing the waste rests with the
authorities of Taiwan, who must consult fully and openly with
the people of Taiwan to find an interim solution for dealing
with it.  Greenpeace believes that the only safe option at this
time for managing all radioactive waste produced by nuclear
reactors is for on-site storage at the site of production. 
Thus, the
contract between Taiwan and the DPRK must be canceled
immediately.
 
The crisis emerging over this issue merely highlights the wider
regional and global crisis over the management of nuclear waste. 
The ROK itself has no plan to deal with nuclear waste and
recently, due to citizen protest, was forced to cancel a
proposal to dump nuclear waste on Gulup-do, an island off its
own shore. Japan ships its spent nuclear fuel to Europe where
weapons-usable plutonium is removed and radioactive waste
discharged into the environment.  To the opposition of many en-
route countries,  Japan is currently conducting a secretive
transport of high-level waste from France to Japan.  
 
Citizens in Taiwan, Korea and Japan must continue to oppose the
short-sighted nuclear waste policies of their governments.  All
countries in the Northeast Asia region must acknowledge that
they are producing a problem for which there is no solution. 
The only option to avoid making the crisis any worse is for no
new nuclear power plants to be built in the region, for all
existing plants to be phased out, for reprocessing of plutonium
to be halted and for greatly expanded support for both
conservation programs and development of alternative forms of
energy.
 
The struggle against nuclear energy being waged by environmental
groups and individuals in Taiwan and on the Korean Peninsula is
an important part of the world-wide struggle to protect the
health and environment of today's and all future generations. 
Greenpeace applauds the peaceful efforts of the anti-nuclear
movement in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan to stop this dangerous
development.
 
 
Thilo Bode, Executive Director, Greenpeace International
 
Anne Dingwall, Executive Director, Greenpeace China
 
Sanae Shida, Executive Director, Greenpeace Japan
 
 
January 30, 1997