Discharge of Contaminated Water in July 'Countdown'... Government Says "Difficult to Propose Solidification to IAEA"

Government: "Discharge of Japanese Contaminated Water Confirmed as the Most Realistic Alternative"

Regarding the planned discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan scheduled for July, the government stated that "reversing the discharge decision itself to propose alternative methods to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and others is an attitude inconsistent with the principle of good faith."

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) completed the construction of the underwater tunnel used for the marine discharge of contaminated water on the 26th. The construction will be finished once the cover is placed over the discharge outlet. If the IAEA does not point out any special issues in its report, it is highly likely that the discharge of contaminated water will proceed as scheduled in July and continue for about 30 years.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At a daily briefing on the Fukushima contaminated water discharge held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Park Gu-yeon, the First Deputy Minister of State, responded to a media question asking, "Is there no alternative such as solidification instead of discharging contaminated water?" by saying, "That issue was already debated for over four years in the mid to late 2010s."

He added, "There were very complex discussions even within Japan, and the IAEA and others were involved up to the final selection process. The current discharge method was confirmed as the most realistic alternative when comprehensively considering scientific precedents and safety."

Park also said, "We are now at the stage where all efforts are focused on 'how to safely carry out this discharge itself,'" and added, "If we go back 7 to 8 years and start that discussion again, it will be endless."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, to stabilize the supply of solar salt, the government has operated a joint inspection team since the 25th in cooperation with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Coast Guard, and local governments. The inspection team encourages early shipment by solar salt companies and checks for practices such as repackaging or mixing with imported salt.

Song Sang-geun, Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, stated, "Starting this year, we are also considering changing the solar salt traceability system from a registration system to a mandatory system in consultation with producers, distributors, processors, and retailers," and added, "Solar salt can only be distributed if a quality certificate is issued."

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