Yoo Guk-hee: "Contaminated Water Should Not Be Released into the Ocean When Exceeding Standard Levels"

Yoo Guk-hee, Chairperson of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, stated on the 15th regarding the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, "It should not be discharged into the ocean if it exceeds the discharge standards."

Yoo, who led the inspection team for the Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water, responded this way during the plenary session of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee to a question from Kim Sung-joo of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Regarding the report mentioned in the government's daily briefing that "up to 20,000 times the standard level of radioactive substances are detected in the contaminated water even after ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treatment," he explained, "The detected strontium level is 14,433 times the Japanese discharge standard of 30 becquerels per liter and 21,650 times the Korean discharge standard of 20 becquerels per liter, which is true, but these figures come from tanks where samples were collected before the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) took samples."

He continued, "Currently, there are about 1,000 contaminated water tanks at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, of which 70% contain contaminated water exceeding the discharge standards, and 30% meet the standards. The portion that meets the standards can be subject to ocean discharge, but if it exceeds the standards, it should not be subject to ocean discharge at all."

In response to a question from Yoon Han-hong of the People Power Party asking whether the contaminated water response differs between the Yoon Suk-yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations, Yoo replied, "From the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission's standpoint, a team has been formed since August 2021, and we have consistently evaluated with the same approach."

Yoo, who holds a vice-ministerial position, was appointed in December 2021 during the Moon Jae-in administration. Regarding the government's own detailed analysis of the contaminated water, he said, "We are accelerating the process," adding, "Since Japan's discharge is approaching, we will reach a final conclusion before the discharge." He also stated that all related data will be disclosed once the results are available.

When asked by Hwang Un-ha of the Democratic Party of Korea whether other five options, including underground burial of contaminated water discussed in the past by the expert subcommittee of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), are technically feasible, Yoo answered, "The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has never reviewed them."

He explained, "To technically review them, detailed plans must be presented to assess their validity, but Japan has not provided detailed plans regarding underground burial or other methods."

Regarding the question about the discrepancy between the sample analysis results from the Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water tanks reported by the IAEA in its interim report and the South Korean government's own analysis results, he replied, "Scientifically, the discrepancy is not significant."

The IAEA stated in its report on the 31st of last month that "The method adopted by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to analyze radioactive nuclides was appropriate and fit for purpose, and the analysis results from a third-party research institution involved in comparative analysis showed no significant detection of additional radioactive nuclides (other than tritium)."

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