Professor Jeong Beom-jin: "Fukushima Treated Water Discharge Concentration Below Standards Is Safe"

Special Lecture by Jeong Beom-jin, Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Kyung Hee University, People Power Party, Seoul Metropolitan Council

‘What Is the Problem with Fukushima Treated Water? Controversies and Conflicts over Scientific Facts’

Professor Jeong Beom-jin: “Fukushima treated water is safe with discharge concentrations below regulatory standards”

Professor Jeong: “Do not be swayed by Fukushima rumors; base judgments on scientific facts”

At 10:30 a.m. on the 5th, the People Power Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (Representative Choi Ho-jeong, Seocho 4) held a special lecture titled ‘What Is the Problem with Fukushima Treated Water?’ in the first conference room of the council members’ office building.

The lecture was delivered by Professor Jeong Beom-jin of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Kyung Hee University, who serves as the vice president of the Korean Nuclear Society and as an advisory member of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s rapid response team against fake news.

Professor Jeong has been drawing media attention as an expert conveying empirical data and scientific facts regarding the Fukushima treated water controversy, emphasizing the dangers posed by agitators spreading Fukushima rumors.

About 40 People Power Party council members, including Chairman Kim Hyun-ki, Vice Chairman Nam Chang-jin, and Floor Leader Choi Ho-jeong, attended the lecture, showing strong interest in the Fukushima treated water issue.

Professor Jeong stressed that the correct term for the Fukushima discharge is ‘treated water,’ which has undergone purification to meet discharge regulatory standards, not ‘contaminated water.’ He emphasized the discharge standards, discharge concentrations, and discharge plans based on international criteria.

Regarding the controversial tritium, he explained that while the natural global annual production of tritium exceeds 200 grams, the total tritium stored at Fukushima is only 3 grams, and the concentration discharged through the underwater discharge tunnel is similar to the normal level of river water in South Korea.

He also clarified that cesium rockfish caught in front of Fukushima were captured not in the open sea near the Fukushima nuclear plant but in the inner harbor for radiation monitoring purposes, unrelated to the discharged treated water.

Professor Jeong addressed fake news such as ‘the current concentration is safe to eat fish, but there is a high possibility of problems for future generations’ or ‘the reason the U.S. and Canada do not oppose is because they do not eat raw fish.’ He clearly stated that since discharge standards are set to cover all potential scenarios, such possibilities do not exist, and that radioactive substances are not eliminated by grilling or boiling, making such claims incorrect.

Finally, he reminded that South Korea’s nuclear power plants also discharge tritium and reiterated that it is a clear fact that Fukushima treated water does not affect marine ecosystems or human health. He emphasized the need to move beyond the suspicion-raising frames of some agitators and approach the issue based on scientific facts.

Choi Ho-jeong, Floor Leader of the People Power Party who organized the lecture, commented, “This event was held to correct distorted information and convey scientific truth at a time when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday released a comprehensive report confirming that the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s treated water ocean discharge plan meets safety standards.”

He added, “We must dispel public concerns through scientific facts against those spreading fake news about Fukushima treated water, and protect fisheries workers, self-employed individuals, and others who suffer damage due to rumors.”

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