The Democratic Party Criticizes Opposition for "Nonsense on Contaminated Water, Over-the-Top Agitation"

Yoon Jae-ok "Continuing Efforts for Public Reassurance"
Government Report Released on the Morning of the 7th
IAEA Secretary-General Visits Korea in the Afternoon

On the 7th, the People Power Party emphasized 'safety' as the top priority ahead of the government's report on the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima and the visit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General to Korea. At the same time, they strongly criticized the opposition parties' distrust of the IAEA and their all-night sit-in at the National Assembly, calling it a 'nonsense festival' and 'all-out agitation.'

Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day, "I will not simply ask you to believe it unconditionally just because it has been scientifically verified," adding, "Efforts to reassure the sovereign nation and the people of the Republic of Korea will continue until the public feels safe."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 7th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Yoon also said, "The government will fully convey the public's concerns to the IAEA Director General and cooperate to the maximum extent to ensure the safety of Korea's seas," emphasizing, "Going forward, we must share data with Japan in real time, immediately notify in case of any abnormal situations, continuously participate in cross-analysis programs of contaminated water samples, and consider stationing our personnel at the IAEA Fukushima local office."

He sharply criticized the invitation of Japanese Social Democratic Party lawmakers by the three opposition parties. Yoon pointed out, "Inviting the Social Democratic Party, a very small party holding only 1 seat out of 465 in the House of Representatives and 2 seats out of 284 in the House of Councillors, and agitating as if opposition to the discharge of contaminated water is the majority opinion in Japan is yet another diplomatic embarrassment." He also raised his voice against the opposition's all-night sit-in, saying, "Some lawmakers are spreading all kinds of provocative fake news."

Regarding the Democratic Party's plan to file a complaint against the Japanese government at the UN Human Rights Council and request a public debate with the IAEA Director General concerning the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, Yoon said, "They say there are no scientists opposing the discharge on broadcasting stations, making it difficult to secure guests, but if they want to have political debates and involve the IAEA Director General in domestic political strife, they will become the laughingstock of the global scientific community." He added, "As scientific facts are revealed and they find themselves cornered, this is an exit strategy to escape regardless of whether Korea becomes a laughingstock in the international community."

Park Dae-chul, the chairman of the Policy Committee, said at the meeting, "I cannot help but ask the Democratic Party whether they are willing to endure international isolation and disgrace for party interests," criticizing, "Refusing to trust the IAEA report is like denying a DNA test result with 99.9% accuracy that shows you are not the parent."

Park also addressed the Democratic Party's claim that the IAEA report cannot be trusted because Japan pays a large share of the contributions, saying, "China pays nearly twice as much as Japan in IAEA contributions, yet they are making political attacks based on fundamentally incorrect facts." He pointed out, "The Democratic Party is not unable to trust science; they have decided not to trust it. That is why they can engage in spreading baseless rumors and agitation. Why should the shame belong to our people and not the Democratic Party?" China opposes the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima.

The government plans to release the report reviewing the safety of the contaminated water discharge plan at 11 a.m. on the same day. Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General, will visit Korea from the afternoon of the same day until the 9th. This visit comes immediately after delivering a comprehensive report on Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

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