Seoul says it will 'respect' IAEA's final Fukushima report

The Korean government said Wednesday it will "respect" the results of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) review on the safety of Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant...

Park Ku-yeon, center, first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, speaks on the Fukushima water release issue at a daily briefing at the government complex in central Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The Korean government said Wednesday it will "respect" the results of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) review on the safety of Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

"Since the IAEA is an internationally recognized authoritative body, the government's basic position is to respect its findings,” said Park Ku-yeon, first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, in speaking with the press in Seoul.

His remarks followed the release of the IAEA’s final report on Tuesday after its two-year review on Japan's plan to release water from the defunct Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean. The agency said it found the plan to be "consistent with relevant international safety standards."

A massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, destroying the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has said that all radioactive materials will be removed from the to-be-released water except tritium, which experts say is harmless to humans in small amounts.

Japan plans to release the water this summer, though its government hasn’t announced a specific date.

The plan has been met with mounting concerns from the fishing communities in both Japan and Korea and divided political opinion in Korea.

〈YONHAP PHOTO-1414〉 IAEA 최종보고서 규탄 기자회견 (서울=연합뉴스) 김성민 기자 = 5일 오전 서울 종로구 광화문광장에서 일본방사성오염수해양투기저지공동행동이 연 'IAEA 최종보고서 발표 대응 기자회견'에서 참가자들이 오염수 방류와 관련된 IAEA 보고서를 규탄하는 퍼포먼스를 진행하고 있다. 2023.7.5 ksm7976@yna.co.kr/2023-07-05 11:06:25/ 〈저작권자 ⓒ 1980-2023 ㈜연합뉴스. 무단 전재 재배포 금지.〉

The Democratic Party (DP) leadership said on Wednesday that it will try to pass a law banning all seafood imports from Japan. Seafood from Fukushima has been banned in Korea since September 2013.

“The party has decided to take all possible measures to prevent the discharge of contaminated water and to conduct a thorough verification on the safety of any procedures to come,” said Lee So-young, a floor spokesperson of the DP, at a party meeting on Wednesday.

DP’s leader Lee Jae-myung in another party meeting also criticized the IAEA and Japan.

“In its final report, the IAEA says that as long as the Advanced Liquid Processing System works, everything will be OK,” Lee said, referring to the Fukushima plant’s treatment system. “So, the IAEA is not really taking responsibility for what could be the actual result. We cannot accept this decision by the Japanese government, using the IAEA report to claim everything is safe.”

The People Power Party (PPP) leadership tried to assure the public on Wednesday, dispelling any cause for concern about reopening seafood trade with the Fukushima region.

“It is the position of the current government and the party to ensure that no seafood from Fukushima enters the Korean market for 10, 30, 100 years, or as long as it takes for our people to feel safe,” said Yun Jae-ok, PPP floor leader, at a party meeting on Wednesday. “Should any person working in the fisheries industry experience any damages or costs because of the latest news, we should of course support these people.”

IAEA’s director general, Rafael Grossi, met with members of the fisheries community in Fukushima on Wednesday, continuing his three-day visit to the country before flying over to Seoul.

In his meetings with the fishermen, Grossi reportedly pledged that the IAEA will continue to assess the safety of the waters 20 and 30 years after the treated water’s first release.

Grossi is scheduled to visit Korea on Friday, in which he was expected to meet with members of the Korean experts who visited Fukushima to inspect its plant in May. The team of experts has yet to release their findings on the safety level of the treated water.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office is reportedly trying to schedule a meeting between Kishida and President Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania later this month, to explain Japan’s plans on the water discharge.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]