ULAANBAATAR ― The travels that the Korean workers undertake to study hazards in Mongolian mines are full of risks and challenges.
Researchers of MIRECO, the Korean mine hazards prevention organization, visited more than 200 mines last year, traveling more than 600 kilometers each time.
“We covered the western part of Mongolia and it was 18,000 kilometers away from Ulaanbaatar. The asphalt roads only cover 400 kilometers from the capital and the rest of the roads are just unpaved. We travel on the unpaved roads about 400 kilometers a day on average and reach our destination,” said Yeon Kyu-hun, vice resident representative of MIRECO, who has led the on-site research team.
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A mine researcher climbs a hill during mine hazards investigation. (KOICA) |
Getting there is not easy.
Once they were isolated in the Altai Mountain range for a couple of days due to a flat tire and endured the cold nights in the heart of the mountains.
“We had to wait for our team who went to find new tires at a village 300 to 400 kilometers away,” said Yeon.
Even if they reach their destination, the chances are high that they cannot find proper accommodation in the sparsely populated country. Mongolia’s land area is 7.4 times the size of the Korean Peninsula and its population is just about one-sixteenth of South Korea’s.
“We sleep in deserted barns or even outside. If we are lucky, we get to pay someone for a bed for the night,” said Yeon.
Another problem is adapting to the harsh environment during their mission.
“A staff member was bitten by blood-sucking flies during our mission and he couldn’t receive proper treatment,” Yeon said.
He developed a chronic skin disease that left him with black marks on his skin.
But what keeps them committed to such a difficult project is to strengthen the primary stage of mine rehabilitation in Mongolia and natural beauty that not everyone can experience.
“We would like to see our work pay off in the end by conducting a real mine recovery project and see the barren land turn into fertile land,” Yeon said.
By Lee Woo-young, Korea Herald correspondent
(
wylee@heraldcorp.com)
