Lee Jae-myung Meets Gangneung Fisheries Industry, "We Must Discuss Fukushima Countermeasures"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 22nd regarding the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, "If the discharge actually takes place, we should not stubbornly claim that there is no problem, but rather practically discuss countermeasures and remedies for the potential issues that may arise there."

Visiting Jumunjin, Gangwon Province for one night and two days starting that day, Lee said at a meeting with fisheries and tourism industry officials, "What is truly regrettable is that from the perspective of the Republic of Korea, the damage is so great that we must clearly express opposition and take practical actions to prevent the discharge, but it is hard to dismiss the thought that such efforts are considerably lacking."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He said, "If we just insist among ourselves that there is no safety problem and suppress claims that there are issues, does that mean the problem itself disappears? The reality is that it does not," adding, "The Democratic Party will also do its best to prevent the discharge, and encourage the government to take practical measures to stop it by cooperating and uniting with the international community against Japan."

Kim Woo-young, chairman of the Democratic Party’s Gangwon Provincial Committee, said, "Regarding the Fukushima contaminated water issue, it is only right that the government listens to the citizens and residents before making a decision," and added, "Even if scientists and government officials explain, if residents do not accept it, it becomes someone else’s policy. Since the fishing villages and tourism economy are very important livelihoods, we ourselves must make efforts to protect our lives." Before the meeting, Lee visited the Jumunjin market. There, merchants said, "We have been greatly discouraged because Japanese nuclear wastewater waste is coming in," and "The economy is worse than in Gyeonggi Province, and money is not circulating, so it is even harder than during COVID-19."

Meanwhile, merchants also expressed concerns about the installation of a designated waste landfill site in the Hyangho-ri area of Jumunjin, in addition to the nuclear waste issue. Regarding this, Lee said, "There must be various stresses due to the contaminated water dumping issue, but it seems that residents are anxious about the waste treatment facility problem in this area," and promised, "Although it is not today’s main topic, since it is an important local issue, the Gangwon Provincial Committee and the central party will carefully monitor the progress, whether the project is appropriate, and how damages can be prevented or remedied."

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