Lee "What’s the point of Fukushima inspection team just observing? We need a joint investigation"

"Safety Confirmation Requires Objective Verification"
"Joint Investigations by Government or Private Units Should Be Possible"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 8th, regarding the government's dispatch of an inspection team to Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water, said, "What meaning is there in just watching whether it flows well or not, or how it is being discharged?" and pointed out that joint investigations at the national or private level are more necessary than 'inspection.'

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th to prevent the ocean dumping of radioactive contaminated water from Japan. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the same day, at a meeting held at the National Assembly titled 'Meeting to Prevent Japan's Radioactive Contaminated Water Ocean Dumping,' Lee said, "It is necessary to conduct fact-finding based on accurate data and to undergo objective verification regarding safety."

Lee criticized, "In a short period, two Korea-Japan summits were held while going back and forth between Korea and Japan, and the hearts of our people watching these two summits are truly complicated. Among them, the issue of radioactive contaminated water discharge, which affects the health and lives of the people, is regrettably turning out to represent Japan's position rather than Korea's national interest or the health and safety of our people."

He stated, "Ocean discharge will naturally have a global impact and is expected to significantly affect the food and safety of the people of the Republic of Korea," adding, "From our government's standpoint, it is only natural to approach this issue from the perspective of Korea's national interest and strive to find solutions, but regrettably, Japan's position is being directly reflected rather than that of our people and nation."

He continued, "They decided to send an inspection team, but what would they accomplish by going there and looking around?" and emphasized, "The Democratic Party proposed that if a national-level joint investigation centered on countries affected by the (Fukushima contaminated water discharge) is difficult, then at least a joint investigation at the private level should be pursued."

He added, "I don't know if there will be progress, but for the sake of future generations and the preservation of the global environment, we must make our best efforts, so I hope efforts in this regard will continue."

Lee said, "I hope that civil society and the Democratic Party join forces to find possible measures and that even if the government cannot do it, the people and civil society can work together on what is possible."

President Yoon Suk-yeol, after holding a Korea-Japan summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 7th, announced, "Our two leaders agreed at this summit to dispatch a field inspection team of Korean experts regarding Fukushima contaminated water."

However, the Democratic Party criticized the dispatch of the inspection team as merely a 'stooge.' At the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting that morning, Supreme Council member Jeong Cheong-rae criticized, "The Fukushima contaminated water discharge issue was settled with a bilateral inspection team, not a verification team," and said, "The inspection team has degenerated into a stooge giving a pardon and is only playing a decorative role."

Supreme Council members Ko Min-jung and Seo Young-kyo also strongly protested the reason why it is an 'inspection team' and not a 'verification team.'

Ko said, "Regarding Fukushima contaminated water, why is it an inspection team and not an investigation or verification team?" and added, "The meaning of the Fukushima contaminated water inspection must be clarified even now." Seo also pointed out, "An inspection team? It should be verified and investigated," and said, "The public is lamenting that this might rather be giving a pardon for the contaminated water discharge."

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