Anti-Nuclear Protest and the Public Acceptance Program: A Sociological Experiment on ANMYON Island, Korea

Abstract

In this study we attempt to explain the lack of public acceptance of nuclear power through a case study of Anmyon islanders' violent protest against the nuclear waste plants. Results from the national survey reveal that three fourth of the respondents should reconsider the island as a possible candidate for the nuclear waste disposal facilities. According to our local survey, as interrupted by the islanders, there are wide variations in individual responses between townspeople and site villagers with respect to their awareness of the main reason the anti-nuclear protest took place, their approval of the project in case the government initiates the second drive toward the waste management program, and their judgment of the possibility of compromise with the government at the second drive toward the project. In this paper, we conclude that it would be of great necessity to put strong emphasis on the role of mass media and the importance of local development programs in order to improve the public acceptance of nuclear power.