Opposition: "Ruling Party's 'Water Tank Mukbang' Show... What a Comedy"

"Respond Immediately to the National Assembly Hearing"

On the 2nd, opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea launched a fierce attack on the ruling party, urging them to stop the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to release its final report on the Fukushima nuclear plant contaminated water discharge plan early this month.

At a National Assembly press briefing that day, Cho Jung-sik, Secretary General of the Democratic Party, said, "(The People Power Party) has gone so far as to perform a show where they drink seawater from the tanks. Following the 'raw fish restaurant mukbang,' now there's a 'seawater mukbang'?what kind of comedy is this?" He added, "The People Power Party should not mislead the public with this 'mukbang show' at the expense of people's lives and safety, and we urge them to immediately respond to the National Assembly hearing."

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, People Power Party members of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee visited Noryangjin Fish Market, where some members including Kim Young-sun and Ryu Seong-geol scooped seawater from tanks containing snow crabs and flatfish with their hands and drank it, asking, "Isn't this water safe to drink?" At the time, Representative Kim said, "Since the water was discharged in 2011 and has reached our coastal waters, this water is much more concentrated than the water planned for discharge now."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Secretary General Cho emphasized, "The contaminated water issue is not a matter of political camps but a serious issue concerning the lives of the people and the future of the nation," adding, "Regardless of generation or class, the vast majority of the public, about 80%, oppose the marine dumping of contaminated water."

Kim Ga-young, Deputy Spokesperson of the Justice Party, also said in a written briefing that day, "It has been seven days since Representative Lee Jeong-mi started her hunger strike," and added, "The day when Fukushima nuclear contaminated water will be dumped into the ocean shared by global citizens is fast approaching. The Justice Party will definitely stop the dumping of nuclear contaminated water that threatens the lives and safety of global citizens."

Furthermore, the opposition parties planned a protest visit to Japan to stop the discharge of Fukushima contaminated water. The Progressive Party announced that Representative Kang Sung-hee and others will visit Japan from the 3rd to the 4th for a one-night, two-day trip, visiting the Prime Minister's residence and the IAEA Tokyo office, followed by a solo protest to stop the discharge of nuclear contaminated water.

The Democratic Party plans to form a 'Parliamentary Group to Stop Marine Dumping during Japan Visit,' led by Representative Ahn Min-seok, and visit Tokyo, Japan, on the 10th and 11th. The Justice Party's Fukushima Contaminated Water Prevention Task Force (TF) leader, Representative Kang Eun-mi, visited Japan from the 22nd of last month for a two-night, three-day trip.

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