Nuclear safety committee launches radiological monitoring

Seoul’s nuclear safety agency began radiological monitoring to look out for radioactive fallout from the North’s nuclear test, officials said Wednesday.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it mobilized two state-of-the-art radioactive xenon detection devices and 134 automatic radiation monitoring systems across the country.

The commission has launched an emergency operation team upon cooperation with other government bodies including the Korea Meteorological Administration and Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety.

Earlier in the day, the weather agency said that the nuclear test was unlikely to have contaminated Seoul with radioactive waste.

Considering the wind velocity and direction, potential radioactive substances would have drifted over the East Sea, it added.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)