| dc.description.abstract | This thesis explores the issue of selecting sites for radioactive waste management (RWM) facilities. This is a matter that should be decided urgently before temporary storage facilities reach saturation from 2031. Since the RWM issue is a ‘wicked’ policy problem that has no optimal solution, exploring coping strategies is significant in policymaking. ‘Wicked’ policy problems are increasing in a network society where a wide range of information is shared and the scope of stakeholders is ambiguous. Since ‘wicked’ policy problems often involve conflict, conflict management strategies are key to dealing with them.
After nine policy failures from 1986 to 2004, the Korean government applied residents’ voting and public deliberation as conflict management measures for making RWM policies. The current thesis conducted a comparative analysis of these two cases. As a result of a comparative study of the two cases, the following was confirmed. The lower the actors' risk perception of nuclear power, the higher conflict over economic interests became; while the higher the risk perception, the conflict based on incompatible beliefs appeared more prominent.
The Gyeongju case only dealt with the disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste that was recognised relatively safe. The reason that the site for radioactive waste disposal could be selected as a result of residents’ voting was not because of the voting itself, but because of the policy package that included the institutionalisation of huge compensation and the reduction of the risk perception.
However, solving only part of a ‘wicked’ problem with the aim of reducing risk awareness may increase the ‘wickedness’ of the problem. After the site selection for low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facilities, the problem of managing high level radioactive waste remained, making it more difficult to deal with. The Korean government postponed the site selection for high level radioactive waste management facilities and first conducted public deliberation with the aim of establishing a master plan for its management. As a result of public deliberation, it was confirmed that the participants had adjusted their initial ideas and opinions through learning and discussion and had considered public interest more than before.
As a result of the comparative analysis of the two cases, this thesis argues that strategies for addressing ‘wicked’ problems should start with reducing the ‘complexity’, ‘uncertainty’ and ‘value divergence’ of the problems. In order to facilitate mutual adjustment among actors, well-organised data and learning opportunities should be provided, and public deliberation should be conducted several times.
If the Korean government intends to use voting to select sites for RWM facilities, it is necessary to increase citizens’ understanding of the problem through public deliberation prior to the vote. In particular, in order to manage conflicts with stakeholders, it is necessary to conduct public deliberation not only to improve understanding of RWM but also to establish an appropriate compensation policy prior to residents’ voting. | en_GB |
