93% of Koreans Say Fukushima Food Is Risky After Contaminated Water Discharge

Japan Only 36%... Significant Perception Gap Between the Two Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] As the Japanese government has announced plans to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant around this spring or summer, a survey revealed a significant difference in perception of the risks associated with Fukushima-produced food between residents of Korea and Japan.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 14th, a survey conducted by Professor Sekiya Naoya of the University of Tokyo in March last year targeted 3,000 internet users from major cities in 10 countries and regions including Korea, China, and Japan. Among Korean residents, 93% responded "dangerous" to the question, "How do you perceive the safety of Fukushima-produced food if marine discharge occurs?"

The percentage of respondents answering "dangerous" to the same question was 87% in China, 82% in Germany, 77% in France, 76% in Taiwan, and 74% in the United States. All countries and regions except Japan exceeded 60%. In contrast, only 36% of Japanese residents responded this way.

The Japanese government explains that contaminated water is purified using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which removes most radioactive substances including cesium; however, tritium is reportedly not filtered out. On the 7th, fish caught in Fukushima Prefecture were found to contain cesium exceeding the standards set by the local fisheries cooperative.

Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed concerns about the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant to the Japanese side during the Korea-Japan Deputy Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Washington DC on the 13th (local time).

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