A pedestrian walks past a group of protesters, including South Korean activists, taking part in a rally to protest against the Japanese government's plan to release Fukushima wastewater, outside Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Tokyo on July 12, 2023. - AFP
SEOUL (Bloomberg): South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wants experts from his own country to help monitor Japan’s release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site.
Yoon requested participation in a discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Lithuania on Wednesday (July 12), according to a statement from South Korea’s presidential office.
Yoon asked the Japanese leader to halt the water release in the event of any abnormalities, such as the concentration of radioactive material exceeding standards, the statement said. Kishida said that if a problem arises, appropriate measures will be taken, including immediate suspension of the wastewater discharge, according to a separate statement from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The South Korean president has sought to repair ties with Japan since taking office, leading to improved relations between the two nations. His government has backed the water release plan, but the move nonetheless has sparked public safety concerns in South Korea.
The plan for Tokyo Electric Power Co. to release the wastewater - equivalent in volume to about 500 Olympic-size swimming pools - has also drawn fierce criticism from China, which has extended a ban on food imports from Fukushima.
Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a comprehensive report on the water discharge plan, concluding that the proposal "would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.”
The water is processed to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, and will then be diluted with seawater so that concentration levels are below international standard levels. Japan and Tepco, which operates the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, have said the discharge of wastewater is necessary as part of efforts to decommission the nuclear disaster site.
