The Marmot’s Hole

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wrapped up its visit to Korea Sunday, but not before visiting an area not far from the Marmot’s old neck of the woods:

The IAEA team visited the Koesan region in North Chungchong Province, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, where South Korea’s past government had once tried to develop a uranium mine.

A ministry official, however, bristled at the suggestion that the uranium was part of a larger government nuclear program. “Uranium reserves of 120 million tons were discovered in the Koesan area in the 1970s, but the government decided not to develop it because of low economic viability,” a ministry official said.

As you no doubt know, the lovely county of Goesan is just across the mountains from equally lovely Mun-gyeong, the “Gateway to the Yeongnam region” where I spent my first three years in Korea. Goesan is a pleasant enough area of forested mountains, river valleys (and accordingly, more than its fair share of Joseon-era Korean pavilions, or jeongja) and one of the more pleasant temples you’ll never visit (Gakyeon-sa). Now, I’m was caught completely off guard by the uranium news, but what I do know is that if you were to buy a box of Korean-made condoms, they were almost guaranteed to be manufactured in Goesan. Apparently, there is (or at least was) a huge latex factory in the town, which given the amount of condoms they were producing, I would have been willing to bet dollars to donuts was the largest employer in the county. I’m not sure what the situation is now, but next time you get a pack of rubbers, be sure to note the site of manufacture.

And if they glow in the dark, be sure to notify the IAEA.