Religious Groups Unite to Oppose Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge

Four religious organizations have come together to hold a press conference urging the withdrawal of Japan's Fukushima contaminated water discharge plan.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 2nd, the Social Labor Committee of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the Catholic Creation Conservation Alliance, the Life Culture Committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea, and the Won-Buddhism Environmental Alliance announced that they will hold a press conference of the four major religions in front of the Japanese Embassy at 11 a.m. on the 3rd, calling for the withdrawal of the Fukushima contaminated water discharge plan.

The four religious organizations stated, "Citizens around the world are seriously concerned about and raising their voices against the discharge of contaminated water, but the South Korean government is merely echoing the claims of the Japanese government. Since we do not know whether it is safe enough to discharge contaminated water into the ocean, we must carefully examine the potential impact this could have on the Earth's ecosystem," explaining the reason for holding the press conference.

The organizations plan to issue a statement at the press conference containing demands for both the South Korean and Japanese governments. First, they demand that the Japanese government withdraw its plan to discharge contaminated water into the ocean. The organizations said, "Sufficient time should be taken to thoroughly investigate and review the impact of the contaminated water discharge on the Earth's ecosystem and whether there are any alternative methods."

They also expressed the hope that the South Korean government will urge the Japanese government to withdraw the discharge plan. The organizations said, "We hope that the South Korean government will explore all possible measures against the Japanese government."

Furthermore, the organizations stated, "The governments of South Korea and Japan declare that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s announcements regarding contaminated water cannot serve as a pardon or justification for the discharge, and that the IAEA is not the sole authority to decide on the life-related issues of Koreans concerning contaminated water."

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