Government: "Absolutely Cannot Tolerate Japan's Nuclear Wastewater Discharge... Strong Regret" (Update)

Gu Yun-cheol, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Briefs at Emergency Vice Ministers' Meeting

On the morning of the 13th, Koo Yoon-chul, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, announced the government's measures after an emergency vice-ministerial meeting at the Government Complex Seoul regarding the Japanese government's decision to discharge radioactive contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident into the sea. 2021.4.13 [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] The government expressed strong regret on the 13th, calling Japan's decision to release radioactive contaminated water, stored since the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, into the ocean "an absolutely unacceptable measure."

At 10 a.m. that day, Koo Yoon-cheol, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, convened an emergency meeting of related vice ministers at the Government Complex Seoul and held a briefing, stating, "We strongly regret the Japanese government's decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean," and added, "We will take all necessary measures with the safety of our people as the top priority." The government plans to convey its concerns and opposition to the Japanese government regarding this decision within the day.

Although the Japanese government made this policy decision on the day, it is expected to take one and a half to two years before the actual discharge begins. This is because domestic procedures in Japan remain, such as Tokyo Electric Power Company establishing detailed plans and obtaining approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan.

The government intends to continue official protests against the Japanese government and coordinate with the international community until the actual discharge occurs. Director Koo said, "We will strongly demand that the Japanese government include specific measures to ensure the safety of our people and prevent damage to the marine environment," and added, "We plan to convey our government's concerns to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international bodies, requesting transparent disclosure of information and international verification throughout the entire contaminated water treatment process." He also stated, "Based on legitimate rights under international law, we will actively demand relevant information from the Japanese government and, in cooperation with the international community, thoroughly verify the entire contaminated water treatment process. We will never tolerate any actions that cause even the slightest harm to our people."

Furthermore, he emphasized again, "We will thoroughly monitor the inflow of radioactivity into domestic waters," and said, "We will more strictly enforce current radioactive inspections on imported food and origin control of imported seafood, including Japanese seafood, responding with a zero-tolerance attitude."

When asked about plans to summon the Japanese ambassador to Korea regarding the Japanese government's decision, the government replied, "Nothing has been decided yet," and added, "We will respond while observing the Japanese government's reaction."

Meanwhile, earlier, the United States expressed de facto support for Japan's decision to release contaminated water into the ocean, stating that it "meets international safety standards." This stance is directly opposed to that of the Korean government.

Regarding this, Director Koo said, "We have conveyed our concerns to the U.S. government as well, but since Korea is a neighboring country and the U.S. is far away, they might express such views," and added, "Nevertheless, the U.S. also mentioned verification through the IAEA. We understand that countries worldwide share the same concerns regarding the contaminated water discharge issue."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.