"Conduct Weekly Radioactivity Tests on Seafood!" ... Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Agriculture and Fisheries Committee Members Urge

Visit to Ulleung Regarding Fukushima Contaminated Water

Nam Young-sook: "Test Results Will Be Disclosed to Residents"

The Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock Committee of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council visited the Gyeongbuk Fisheries Technology Institute's Ulleung-Dokdo branch on the 13th to inspect the safety response measures for seafood following the trial operation of the Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water discharge facility.

On this day, the committee members unanimously agreed that at the point when the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant becomes a reality, it is essential to alleviate the concerns of fishermen along the East Coast and provide accurate information to consumers.

As a specific measure, they ordered the establishment of a plan to conduct regular weekly radiation inspections on caught seafood and to provide information in the form of disaster alert messages to East Coast fishermen, seafood distribution and processing companies, and Gyeongbuk residents.

Members of the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock Committee of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council visited the Gyeongbuk Fisheries Technology Institute and urged that radiation tests be conducted weekly and information be provided in the form of disaster alerts, etc., to alleviate public concerns regarding the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They emphasized the urgency of implementing measures that allow consumers to purchase seafood with confidence, such as providing information that tracks changes in radiation levels over time before and after the Fukushima contaminated water discharge and the movement of ocean currents, and requested the promotion of policies to secure trust by inviting the media and consumer organizations to observe the inspection process demonstrations.

The Gyeongbuk Fisheries Technology Institute, which has been conducting radiation inspections at all stages before seafood caught on the East Coast is traded since 2015, explained that it plans to enhance inspection equipment to improve the level of inspections and significantly expand the scope of investigation targets and fish species.

So far, no radiation has been detected in the inspection results, but considering the possibility of damage to coastal fish species once the Fukushima contaminated water is fully discharged, proactive reinforcement work is underway.

The Gyeongbuk Fisheries Technology Institute currently operates three radiation inspection devices?two at the main office and one at the Ulleung-Dokdo branch?and plans to purchase four additional devices to deploy them to all jurisdictional cities and counties along the East Coast.

The newly purchased radiation inspection equipment is known to be the latest model from AMETEK ORTEC, a U.S. company.

Nam Young-sook, Chairperson of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council's Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock Committee, strongly urged the Gyeongbuk Province to actively respond, stating, “As concerns about radiation contamination of seafood continue to grow, radiation inspections of seafood within the province must be further strengthened, and that information should be transparently and promptly disclosed to residents.”

Ten out of eleven committee members attended the meeting, with nine attendees belonging to the People Power Party and one being an independent.

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