Government "Respects IAEA Final Report... Please Wait a Little for Korea's Own Report"

Government "Respects IAEA Report... Will Explain Together at Final Announcement of Own Analysis"

Regarding the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) final report stating that Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean meets international safety standards, the government stated on the 5th that “basically, since the IAEA is an internationally agreed authoritative organization, our basic stance is to respect it.”

On the 5th, Park Gu-yeon, First Deputy Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said this during the ‘Daily Briefing on Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge’ held at the Government Seoul Office. Deputy Director Park said, “Unlike other countries, our own review work centered on the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) has been ongoing for two years and is in its final stages,” adding, “When we make the final announcement, we will explain in depth how we evaluate the IAEA report and whether we agree with its contents in relation to it, so we would appreciate it if you could wait a little longer.”

He continued, “I understand there are many questions about when our government’s own review report will be released,” and emphasized, “The government is also making efforts to bring forward the announcement timing as much as possible, and once the review is complete, we will promptly deliver it through briefings and other means.”

Regarding the statement by Hirokazu, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, that Japan will strongly demand the lifting of seafood import restrictions to Korea, he said, “I would like to reiterate once again that the issue of seafood import and the safety review of this discharge are completely separate matters.” Deputy Director Park emphasized, “It does not matter whether it has been 10 years or any amount of time; the important thing is that it is scientifically confirmed to be safe, and furthermore, unless the public is emotionally ready to accept it, the government will never import it.”

When asked about the Korean government’s plan to participate in the IAEA office to be established at the Fukushima nuclear power plant site, Deputy Director Park said, “It has not yet been decided in what form the government will participate,” adding, “We have continuously emphasized that it is necessary to continue participating in whatever form it may be.” He also said, “Whether the government will go to the office or not is something that will require further consultation.”

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, visited Japan the previous day and delivered the final report containing the verification results of Japan’s contaminated water discharge plan, which has been underway since July 2021, to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The IAEA explained in the report that “as Tokyo Electric Power Company plans and evaluates, if the contaminated water is controlled and gradually discharged into the sea, the radioactive impact on humans and the environment will be negligible to the extent that it can be ignored.” This means there is no problem with the Japanese government’s plan to discharge Fukushima contaminated water into the ocean this summer.

Separately, since August 2021, our government, led by KINS, has been inspecting the safety of the contaminated water discharge and is preparing to release a report containing comprehensive analysis results. The report is currently in the final drafting stage.

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