Korea’s imports of Japanese seafood projected to fall after Fukushima release

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant ahead of discharge of contaminated water. [Photo by Yonhap]

South Korea’s imports of Japanese seafood are projected to go down sharply after the planned release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

According to data from the Korea Customs Service on Wednesday, the country’s imports of Japanese seafood plummeted by 37.7 percent on year to 59,954 tons in 2011 when the Fukushima nuclear accident occurred.

Imports include various types of fish and seafood, including fresh refrigerated, and frozen fish, as well as crustaceans and mollusks.

In response to the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, the Korean government banned the imports of seafood from eight Japanese prefectures adjacent to Fukushima from September that year.

Imports of seafood from Japan as a result fell 36.3 percent in 2012. When comparing the figures to those of 2010, the year just before the Fukushima nuclear accident, imports plunged 67.4 percent in 2014.

In terms of value, imports stood at $91.15 million in 2014, down 57 percent from $212.21 million in 2010.

Seafood imports from Japan showed an overall recovery from 2015.

In 2022, imports reached 32,588 tons, up 22.3 percent from 2014. However, it remained at 39.8 percent of the volume in 2010 before the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Import value also rebounded to 71.5 percent of the 2010 level, reaching $174.15 million. This rebound is attributed to an increase in the relatively higher-priced imports of live fish rather than fresh, refrigerated, or frozen fish.

With the full-scale release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, imports are likely to decline on heightened anxiety.

Some wet market stores and restaurants have already displayed notices indicating that they do not use Japanese seafood.

“We haven’t been using Japanese seafood anyway due to price reasons, but because of the Fukushima water release, we actively inform our customers that we do not use Japanese seafood,” said an industry insider.