Government: "Korea Participates in IAEA Japan Contaminated Water Verification Team... No Compromise on Public Health"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seonhee] The government announced on the 9th that a Korean expert will participate in the expert team formed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, stating, "We will not compromise on any measures that could harm the health of our people."

The Office for Government Policy Coordination stated in a press release on the morning of the same day, "The government will prioritize the health and safety of the people and do its best to resolve the issue of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant."

According to the government, Dr. Kim Hong-seok (Senior Researcher at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Adjunct Professor at KAIST Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering) will participate as the Korean representative in the IAEA international verification team. Dr. Kim is an expert in nuclear safety, currently serving as the chief Korean representative to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), and is a highly recognized authority in the analysis and evaluation of radioactive materials both domestically and internationally.

The government stated, "The participation of our expert in the IAEA international verification team is highly significant as it secures at least a minimum safety mechanism to protect our people's safety through direct and indirect verification in case Japan proceeds with the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant," adding, "We will do our best to ensure that the entire process of contaminated water treatment can be objectively and substantially verified through participation in the IAEA international verification team."

Furthermore, the government explained, "To alleviate concerns about the safety of our people, measures such as marine monitoring and securing the safety of seafood and food will be carried out without delay," and "To prevent harm to our fishermen and citizens, we are strengthening the radioactive substance monitoring system in coastal waters by increasing survey points and frequency, expanding radiation inspection times for imported seafood, and more thoroughly implementing and inspecting radiation inspections, origin verification, and traceability of imported food."

The government emphasized again, "The issue of contaminated water from nuclear power plants is related to the global marine environment and seafood safety," and "We will make every effort to protect the safety of our seas and the health of our people by closely cooperating with the international community, including the IAEA and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement."

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