Kemo nuclear disaster

Kemo nuclear disaster

Part of the Great Nuclear Scare
Date	Ongoing (began 26 May 1974)
Location	Moesoen Industrial Community, Kemo, Corea
Type	Nuclear incident
Cause	1974 Ansji earthquake Structural inefficiencies Insufficient safety infrastructure
Deaths	~9,000 143 (core meltdown) ~3,000 (earthquake) ~5,000 (wildfires) ~1,000 (unknown)
Displaced	+1,700,000 (Corea) +500,000 (Poeja)

The Kemo nuclear disaster (Corean: 개모滙사고, Gêmo heusago) refers to a series of nuclear accidents and associated natural events at the General Bak Dam-jak Compound in the Moeseon Industrial Community, Kemo, Corea. The initial core meltdown began on 26 May 1974 and was triggered by the Ansji earthquake. Seismic waves caused the failure of the coolant system, resulting in the overheating of two nuclear reactors. Combined with subpar safety infrastructure, this resulted in the widespread contamination of the surrounding area and around 9,000 deaths within two months. It is generally regarded as the most severe nuclear event in world history and one of the most significant geopolitical events of the late 20th century.