• Korean Security Journal
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• no.42
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• pp.205-227
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• 2015

The Korean Peninsula is put in a position to carry out a highly strategic game vis-a-vis nK, which is asserting itself as a nuclear power amongst Northeast Asia's complex dynamics. While the international community recognizes nK's possession of nuclear weapons as released secret based on nK's three nuclear tests, shrewd strategic thinking is needed by ROK to secure itself as a non-nuclear nation in order to assume a responsible role to the international community, while simultaneously being ready to respond at all times for nK's military provocations. ROK must continue with its twofold strategy, by firm response to military confrontation with nK and maintaining flexible policy of tolerance in the areas of economy and ethnicity. Various strategic options to overcome nK's nuclear threats have been presented to ROK, whose possession of nuclear weapons have been difficult, and nK's nuclear capability is a real threat to ROK's national security. We must be able to respond to nK's nuclear threats strictly from ROK's national security perspective. This thesis aims to propose a response policy for nK's nuclear capability and nK's nuclear attack based on analysis of such nuclear damage, ROK Government's response posture against nK's nuclear threats, centered around ROK Government's non-military response posture.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.879-887
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• 2021

The nuclear supply chain attack surface is a large, complex network of interconnected stakeholders and activities. The global economy has widened and deepened the supply chain, resulting in larger numbers of geographically dispersed locations and increased difficulty ensuring the authenticity and security of critical digital assets. Although the nuclear industry has made significant strides in securing facilities from cyber-attacks, the supply chain remains vulnerable. This paper discusses supply chain threats and vulnerabilities that are often overlooked in nuclear cyber supply chain risk analysis. A novel supply chain cyber-attack surface diagram is provided to assist with enumeration of risks and to examine the complex issues surrounding the requirements for securing hardware, firmware, software, and system information throughout the entire supply chain lifecycle. This supply chain cyber-attack surface diagram provides a dashboard that security practitioners and researchers can use to identify gaps in current cyber supply chain practices and develop new risk-informed, cyber supply chain tools and processes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.820-828
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• 2018

The growing nuclear threat has amplified the need for developing diverse and accurate nuclear forensics analysis techniques to strengthen nuclear security measures. The work presented here is part of a research effort focused on developing a methodology for reactor-type discrimination of weapons-grade plutonium. To verify the developed methodology, natural $UO_2$ fuel samples were irradiated in a thermal neutron spectrum at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) and produced approximately $20{\mu}g$ of weapons-grade plutonium test material. Radiation transport simulations of common thermal reactor types that can produce weapons-grade plutonium were performed, and the results are presented here. These simulations were needed to verify whether the plutonium produced in the natural $UO_2$ fuel samples during the experimental irradiation at MURR was a suitable representative to plutonium produced in common thermal reactor types. Also presented are comparisons of fission product and plutonium concentrations obtained from computational simulations of the experimental irradiation at MURR to the nondestructive and destructive measurements of the irradiated natural $UO_2$ fuel samples. Gamma spectroscopy measurements of radioactive fission products were mostly within 10%, mass spectroscopy measurements of the total plutonium mass were within 4%, and mass spectroscopy measurements of stable fission products were mostly within 5%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.187-188
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• 2022

As information processing technology develops with the trend of the times, the possibility of cyber threats to nuclear facilities is increasing. In the 2000s, there was a growing perception that cyberattacks on nuclear facilities were needed, and in fact, a cybersecurity regulatory system for nuclear power plants began to be established to prepare for cyberattacks. In Korea, in order to prepare for cyber threats, in 2013 and 2014, the Act on Protection and Radiation Disaster Prevention, Enforcement Decree, and Enforcement Rules of Nuclear Facilities, etc., and notices related to the Radioactive Disaster Prevention Act were revised. In 2015, domestic nuclear operators prepared information system security regulations for each facility in accordance with the revised laws and received approval from the Nuclear Safety Commission for implementation of information system security regulations divided into seven stages. In 2019, a special inspection for step-by-step implementation was completed, and since 2019, the cybersecurity system of operators has been continuously inspected through regular inspections. In this paper, we present some measures to build improved training to suit the steadily revised inspection of the nuclear facility cybersecurity system to counter cyber threats to the ever-evolving nuclear facilities.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.56
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• pp.83-105
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• 2018

Special security guards play the role to safely operate and manage nuclear power plants from unintended internal and external threats. Physical fitness management of special security guards is one of the most important factors for improving and maintaining the level of physical protection. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyze the physical fitness factor and physical fitness level required for mission accomplishment through job analysis of special security guards. The special security guards of Nuclear Power Plant in Korea were performing 7 jobs, 26 duties, 159 tasks. In order to accomplish theses tasks, the following physical fitness were required: muscle strength and muscle endurance of the hand, upper limb, lower limb and core, quickness, agility and Cardio function. The duties that require a lot of physical fitness were in the order of conducting arrest and self-defense, conducting unarmed defensive tactics, demonstrating proficiency with semiautomatic rifle, using protective equipment, performing emergency plan and defensive strategy, etc. The results of this study are expected to provide basic data necessary for establishing guidelines for fitness qualification and training of special security guards in the future and contribute to enhancement of physical protection of nuclear power plants.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.219-246
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• 2017

Nuclear issue is a good example showing globalization of the international regime. The history showed nuclear weapons may cause the extinction of human races when the first nuclear bombs fell down to Japan in August, 1945 and people became increasingly eager to achieve peace. Military buildup for national security is a matter of existence in the international society. However, disarmament or arms control to secure international peace and safety which is also the purpose of the Charter of the United Nations may be the most important task for us to realize peace of the mankind. Today, disarmament, together with amicable settlement of international conflicts and collective security system, is an important means to maintain and promote international peace and safety. It might be our permanent task to realize complete disarmament but, as the Preamble of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) expressed general and complete disarmament, the international society has clarified its effort for complete disarmament. Thus, taking a look into the international regime on the nuclear issue and progress related to the nuclear issue in North Korea, the study was intended to introduce the globalization of the nuclear issue, review the international effort for nuclear disarmament based on the concept of the 'common heritage of the mankind' and with respect to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and controls over nuclear weapons, and then evaluate the North Korean nuclear issue, which is in direct relation with South Korea and international laws, in terms of the space law and disarmament acts. The collective security system along with policies to prevent dissemination of nuclear weapons should also be emphasized and implemented to cope with the North Korean nuclear issue.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.139-148
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• 2013

A nuclear energy has been one of the most important sources to securely supply electricity in South Korea. Its weight in the national electricity supply has kept increasing since the first nuclear reactor was built in 1978. The country relies on the nuclear approximately 31.4% in 2012 and it is expected to increase to 48.5% in 2024 based on the long-term electricity supply plan announced by the Korean government. However, Fukushima disaster due to 9.0 magnitude earthquake followed by the tsunami has raised deep concerns on the security of the nuclear power plants. The policy makers of the country are much interested in analyzing the cost structure of the power supply in the case that the nuclear is diminished from the current supply portion. This research uses a stochastic model that aims to evaluate the long-term power supply plan and provides an extensive cost analysis on the changes of the nuclear power supply. To evaluate a power supply plan, the research develops a few plausible energy mix scenarios by changing the installed capacities of energy sources from the long-term electricity supply plan. The analyses show that the nuclear is still the most attractive energy source since its fuel cost is very much stable compared to the other sources. Also the results demonstrate that a large amount of financial expenditure is additionally required every year if Koreans agree on the reduction of nuclear to increase national security against a nuclear disaster.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.363-374
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• 2015

Instrumentation and control(I&C) system has been mainly designed and operated based on analog technologies in existing Nuclear Power Plants(NPPs). However, As the development of Information Technology(IT), digital technologies are gradually being adopted in newly built NPPs. I&C System based on digital technologies has many advantages but it is vulnerable to cyber threat. For this reason, cyber threat adversely affects on safety and reliability of I&C system as well as the entire NPPs. Therefore, the software equipped to NPPs should be developed with cyber security attributes from the initiation phase of software development life cycle. Moreover through cyber security assessment, the degree of confidence concerning cyber security should be measured and if managerial, technical and operational work measures are implemented as intended should be reviewed in order to protect the I&C systems and information. Currently the overall cyber security program, including cyber security assessment, is not established on I&C systems. In this paper, we propose cyber security assessment methods in the Software Development Life Cycle by drawing cyber security activities and assessment items based on regulatory guides and standard technologies concerned with NPPs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2018.11a
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• pp.41-42
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• 2018

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.259-274
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• 2023

In this paper, mechanical properties of periodic foundation made of concrete and rubber are investigated by a parametric study using the finite element method (FEM). Periodic foundation is a special type of seismic isolation foundation used in civil engineering, which is inspired by the meso-scale structure of phononic crystals in solid-state physics. This type of foundation is capable of reducing the seismic wave propagating though the foundation, therefore providing additional protection for the structures. In the FEM analysis, layered periodic foundation is frequently modelled due to its simplicity in numerical modeling. However, the isolation effect of periodic foundation on nuclear power plant has not been fully discussed to the best knowledge of authors. In this work, we construct four numerical models of nuclear power plant with different foundations to investigate the seismic isolation effects of periodic foundations. The results show that the layered periodic foundation can increase the natural period of the nuclear power plant like traditional base isolation systems, which is beneficial to the structures. In addition, the seismic response of the nuclear power plant can also be effectively reduced in both vertical and horizontal directions when the frequencies of the incident waves fall into some specific frequency bandgaps of the periodic foundation. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the layered periodic foundation can reduce the amplitude of the floor response spectrum, which plays an important role in the protection of the equipment.