South Korea's nuclear watchdog said Thursday it has approved the full operation of the nation's first nuclear waste disposal facility after test runs and inspections confirmed its safety.

Construction of the permanent disposal site for low- and medium-level radioactive waste in Gyeongju, 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was completed in June after seven years, but its operation has been delayed pending the nuclear inspection body's safety assessment.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) held a meeting and gave the green light for the operation of the 1.56 trillion won ($1.53 billion) facility, which is expected to begin early next year.

"The NSSC will regularly conduct inspections to monitor whether the nuclear waste facility is safely managed," the NSSC said in a release.

The facility consists of six underground silos that can hold up to 100,000 barrels of radioactive waste and an examination compound that accommodates about 4,500 barrels of waste waiting to be moved to the silos.

South Korea already has about 100,000 barrels of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste since the country began commercial operations at its first nuclear reactor in 1978.

A second-phase construction program is under way to add an additional 125,000-barrel holding unit to the Gyeongju site, which is designed to take in 800,000 barrels of nuclear waste over the next 60 years before it is completely sealed off.

A total of 23 nuclear reactors generate one-third of the power needs in Asia's fourth-largest economy and produce 2,300 barrels of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste each year. (Yonhap)