Radioactive spill casts doubt on Japan's wastewater release

On Monday, the Korean government, however, said the recent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant does not imply a compromise in the safety of the filtering system.

A fish monger in Incheon watches the news on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant releasing the treated radioactive water into the ocean on Aug. 24. [YONHAP]

The spillage of untreated radioactive water in last week's accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was significantly larger than initially reported, according to a Japanese broadcaster.

This incident is casting doubt on Japan's ability to manage the treatment of radioactive wastewater effectively.

According to a report by the Japanese broadcaster NHK on Monday, the unfiltered contaminated water that was spilled after a hose detached from a treatment facility last week was much more than the initially estimated 100 millimeters.

NHK reported that Tokyo Electric Power Corp. (Tepco) disclosed in a press conference Monday that the actual amount was several liters, dozens of times more than the initially reported amount.

The specific amount of the spillage was not mentioned, however.

When the pipe broke on Wednesday, contaminated water spilled onto a cleaning crew of five individuals.

Two of them were found to have high levels of radiation exposure and subsequently sent to a hospital for treatment.

Earlier this year, before the Fukushima nuclear power plants discharged a substantial amount of contaminated water in August, the Korean government accepted Japan's argument that the contamination levels would not harm the environment.

However, this decision faced opposition from the public and the Democratic Party.

Worries over radiation contamination had a significant impact on the Korean fishery industry, including seafood sellers and restaurants.

On Monday, the Korean government said the recent accident does not imply a compromise in the safety of the filtering system.

It said that the accident at the nuclear power plant in Japan is unrelated to the performance of the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) in filtering contamination and does not directly affect the safety of discharging radioactive water.

Shin Jae-sik, the head of the radiation emergency bureau at the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, right at a press briefing on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant's accident last week the government complex in Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

“The accident occurred during the cleaning of the entrance to the cross-flow filter drainage, which is situated between the pre-processing facility and the polynucleoma removal device,” said Shin Jae-sik, the head of the radiation emergency bureau at the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission during a government press conference.

Shin noted that although high-pressure gas formation was not unknown, it was the first time that the concentration had reached an exceptionally high level.

Shin said he understands Tepco is working on a reinforcement plan, including the tightening of hoses. “The recent accident is unrelated to the ALPS filtering systems,” Shin said. “It is not related to the safety of discharging contaminated water.”

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]