'Hard to Stop the County Governor' Japanese Consulate ⇒ Japanese Embassy ⇒ Cheongwadae ⇒ National Assembly ... Chain Solo Protests

Busan Gijang County Mayor Oh Gyuseok Condemns Japan's Radioactive Wastewater 'Marine Discharge' in Front of National Assembly on 4th

Ruling and Opposition Lawmakers United to Urge Firm Resolution... Determined Like Imran Uibyeong's 'Uprising' Spiri

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] “Once he starts, he sees it through to the end.” “No one can break his stubbornness.”

This is what the residents and officials of Gijang County, Busan say about their ‘county governor.’

While others might be distracted or forget, Gijang County Governor Oh Gyu-seok has consistently sounded the ‘alarm’ until the issue is resolved once he sets his foot on it.

On the afternoon of the 4th at 2:30 PM, Oh Gyu-seok, Governor of Gijang County, Busan, held a one-person protest in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in Yeouido, condemning the Japanese government’s decision to discharge Fukushima radioactive contaminated water into the ocean.

Governor Oh’s ‘urge’ is expected to continue until the Japanese government withdraws its policy or the Korean government takes extraordinary measures.

This protest marks Governor Oh’s fourth. Starting on April 14th in front of the Japanese Consulate in Busan, and then on April 19th in front of the Embassy of Japan in Korea, he held one-person protests both times targeting the Japanese government.

Afterward, his focus shifted to our own country. The third one-person protest on April 27th in front of the Blue House demanded immediate and strong sanctions from our government. The fourth protest was directed at the National Assembly.

On this day in front of the National Assembly, Governor Oh also invoked the ‘Imjin War’ theory. His logic is that if Japan unilaterally commits acts akin to invasion, the nation or militia must ‘rise up’ to stop it.

He argued that the ocean is connected worldwide, so one country’s unilateral decision is unacceptable. The waters off Gijang are a treasure trove of marine aquaculture such as seaweed and kelp, so the fishing industry would be directly affected, and as a local government head, Governor Oh cannot overlook this, which is his justification for the protest.

Although there are debates about the dilution and safety of the radioactive contaminated water, Governor Oh believes that since the ocean does not belong to Japan alone, scientific validity investigations and decisions should involve internationally recognized organizations.

The unilateral decision by Japan is a grave matter that, regardless of scientific facts, could shut down all marine and fisheries-related industries, yet the government has taken no action, which is the essence of Governor Oh’s series of one-person protests.

On this day, Governor Oh raised his voice again, saying, “The Japanese government’s unilateral decision to discharge Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water into the ocean is absolutely unacceptable. Like the militia that rose during the Imjin War, we must fight to the death. The National Assembly and government of the Republic of Korea must take the lead in standing up against the Japanese government.”

He also urged the Korean government to significantly increase the number and locations of radioactive monitoring points in seawater nationwide in preparation for the Fukushima radioactive contaminated water discharge, to strengthen continuous monitoring of radioactivity, and to prepare responses based on scientific radioactive investigations.

Furthermore, he called for transparent real-time disclosure of seawater radioactivity information to the entire public to alleviate public anxiety, and emphasized that all efforts must be made to monitor Japan’s radioactive ocean dumping through close cooperation with international organizations.

Attention is focused on what results this struggle by a local government head, who must look even beneath the sea, will yield.

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