FOUR S.KOREAN CITIES COMPETE TO ACCOMMODATE NUCLEAR WASTE.

SEOUL, Nov 1 Asia Pulse - Four provincial cities on South Korea's east and west coasts are locked in last-minute competition for the right to host the nation's first permanent nuclear waste dump on the eve of a decisive popular ballot.

On Wednesday, residents in Gyeongju, Pohang and Yeongdeok, all in North Gyeongsang Province on the east coast, and Gunsan of North Jeolla Province on the west coast, will go to the polls to vote on their respective government's bid to accommodate a permanent nuclear waste storage facility for low- and intermediate- level radioactive waste.

The site is to store discarded clothing, gloves used at atomic power plants, and filters and hospital X-ray byproducts, which the government claims are all relatively safe.

The successful bidder will be determined based on the approval ratings from the popular vote.

Apparently lured by huge potential economic rewards, including a special state subsidy of about 300 billion won (US$288 million), the four bidders have staged fierce publicity campaigns to persuade their residents to vote for the waste dump.

The headquarters of the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. will also be moved from the capital to the region that accepts the site, providing a new source of revenue and jobs.

The four cities have aggressively put up placards promising a better local economy and more jobs on their major streets. They have also organized public rallies to promote the economical benefits of accommodating the nuclear waste site.