President Yoon faced Prime Minister Kishida and okayed discharge of contaminated water

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida just before the South Korea-Japan summit in a hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12. Kim Chang-gil

On July 12 (local time), President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Lithuania, the host country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, and accepted Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea. President Yoon said he respected the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which concluded that Japan’s water discharge plan met international safety standards. He asked Japan to share the data from monitoring the release process in real-time, to allow South Korean experts to take part in inspecting the discharge process, and to immediately suspend the discharge of water and notify Seoul if any problems occurred. The president practically accepted Japan’s plan to release the contaminated water and suggested that he would concentrate on strengthening follow-up measures. This triggered criticism that the president ignored concerns held by the majority of the citizens on the discharge of contaminated water from the nuclear power plant and sided with the Japanese government.

On Wednesday, President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida engaged in a summit at a hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the NATO summit is being held, and discussed ways to engage in bilateral cooperation. The two leaders sat face to face for the first time in nearly two months since the summit in Hiroshima, Japan, held on the sidelines of a G7 summit on May 21. It was also their sixth official meeting since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol government.

When speaking on the biggest issue between the two countries, the discharge of contaminated water, President Yoon said, “We must consider the health and safety of our people as top priority.” He then said that he “respected” the final report by the IAEA, which claimed that Japan’s plan to discharge the water was in line with international standards, and asked Japan to share the data from monitoring the discharge process--to ensure that it was executed according to plan--in real-time and to allow South Korean experts to take part in inspecting the process.

President Yoon also asked Japan to immediately stop the discharge when problems occurred, such as when the density of radioactive materials exceeded safety standards, and to inform South Korea of the situation. As a state leader, he made it clear that our government respected the IAEA report and acknowledged Japan’s plan to release the contaminated water. He did not suggest any revisions or delays in the execution of the plan.

Prime Minister Kishida pledged that as the prime minister of Japan, he would ensure the safety of the water discharge and not release any water that may harm the health and environment of the Japanese citizens and the citizens of South Korea. At the same time, he explained that the water discharge would be examined by the IAEA and that Japan would promptly share monitoring data with a high level of transparency. If problems are detected, such as radiation levels exceeding the standard, Japan will “immediately stop the discharge and take appropriate measures,” said the Japanese prime minister. However, he did not directly mention President Yoon’s request for the participation of South Korean experts in inspections.

The two state leaders jointly condemned the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea Wednesday and reaffirmed their determination to launch a joint response. In his opening remark, President Yoon criticized North Korea’s missile launch and said, “South Korea and Japan will closely cooperate to protect peace in the Indo-Pacific region and also strengthen cooperation with NATO.” Prime Minister Kishida strongly condemned North Korea’s provocation and mentioned the need for South Korea and Japan to respond through close cooperation. The two leaders emphasized cooperation between the two countries as well as cooperation with the U.S. in connection with North Korea’s nuclear missile provocations and welcomed the U.S. proposal for a South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral summit, which would become a groundbreaking milestone in trilateral cooperation to ensure security, according to the Office of the President. South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are currently discussing a trilateral summit in Washington D.C. as U.S. President Joe Biden proposed in May.

Prime Minister Kishida was the first to arrive at the venue Wednesday, and when President Yoon entered, he greeted him in Korean saying, “Annyeonghaseyo.” The summit lasted for thirty minutes. The two leaders agreed that efforts to improve bilateral relations, such as restoring “shuttle diplomacy”--frequent visits between the two leaders to meet and discuss bilateral affairs--after twelve years, have had visible results and stressed stronger cooperation. The two countries decided to resume high-level economic talks within this year and to seek ways to cooperate in a variety of fields including foreign affairs, security, the economy, culture, and exchange of human resources. The high-level economic talks will cover comprehensive discussions on economic affairs by delegations led by the deputy ministers of foreign affairs overseeing economic affairs from South Korea and Japan.