Treated Fukushima wastewater plan 'meets safety standard': gov't

Japan's plan to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant aligns with international safety standards, the government confirmed in its independent analysis report published Friday.

Government Policy Coordination Minister Bang Moon-kyu, second from left, speaks during a daily briefing on Japan's plan to release the Fukushima wastewater on Friday at the government complex in central Seoul. [YONHAP]

Japan's plan to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant aligns with international safety standards, the government confirmed in its independent analysis report published Friday.

"Upon reviewing Japan's plan to release the wastewater, the Korean government has confirmed that it meets the maritime emission standard for radioactive density," Government Policy Coordination Minister Bang Moon-kyu said during a daily briefing on the Fukushima water discharge held at the government complex in Seoul.

Discharging the treated wastewater “was confirmed to have negligible impact on Korean seas,” said Bang.

"It will take four to five years, or up to 10 years, for the radiation impact to reach Korean waters,” said the minister, adding that the tritium levels are estimated to increase by less than one-100,000th of the current level, even when the impact reaches Korean shores.

Korea’s nuclear safety agencies, including the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) and Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), have conducted an independent inspection of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco)’s wastewater discharge plan since 2021.

KINS also participated in the safety inspection led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

On the IAEA’s final safety review report released on Tuesday, Bang stressed the government's 'respect' for the IAEA's conclusion that "the discharge of the ALPS treated water, as currently planned by Tepco, will have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment."

Bang, however, added that “as this confirmation was based on the premise that the Tepco’s treated water release is delivered as initially proposed, we will have the conclusion when the final details of Japan’s release plan and its validity and viability are confirmed.”

The government will conduct additional safety inspections if any changes are made to the plan, according to Bang.

In its proposal, Japan will process the wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant with the Advanced Liquid Processing System [ALPS], which removes most of the nuclides from the water except for tritium, according to Tepco.

To lower the tritium level to below 1,500 becquerel (Bq) per liter, which is about one-seventh of the 10,000-Bq level set by the World Health Organization for drinking water, Tepco says that it will dilute the ALPS-treated water and gradually release 1.25 million tons of the Fukushima water over 30 years.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday that he will take a close look at Korea’s inspection report.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) issued its final safety approval to Tepco’s water release facility that day, three days after IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to submit the final report.

With the safety approval from the NRA, the discharge is expected to begin as early as this summer, but the prime minister is yet to make his final decision.

After his four-day stay in Japan, Grossi will fly to Korea for a three-day visit starting Friday. The IAEA chief plans to meet with the head of NSSC and Foreign Minister Park Jin on Saturday.

At a press conference held in Tokyo on Friday, Grossi said that he is aware of and closely monitoring the concerns over the safety of the Fukushima wastewater in Korea. He added that he is willing to meet with Democratic Party lawmakers, who are strongly opposed to Japan’s release plan while stressing that IAEA’s safety review is based on scientific analysis without any political leanings.

BY SHIN HA-NEE, SOHN DONG-JOO [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]