Government: "IAEA Report Unrelated to Fukushima Seafood Import Ban"

Daily Briefing at Government Seoul Office on the 7th

Bang Moon-gyu, Minister for Government Policy Coordination (center), is announcing a scientific and technological review report on the Fukushima contaminated water treatment plan at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 7th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

The government has firmly dismissed the claim that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s report on the Fukushima contaminated water discharge and the ban on imports of Fukushima seafood are related matters.

On the 7th, Bang Moon-kyu, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, stated at a daily briefing on Fukushima contaminated water held at the Government Complex Seoul, “There is no causal relationship that the contents of the IAEA report could negatively affect our import restrictions.” This response came after a question suggesting that expressing respect for the IAEA report might later disadvantage Korea in disputes over Fukushima seafood.

Minister Bang explained, “The current IAEA report reviews the appropriateness of Japan’s discharge plan,” adding, “It is not a report investigating the impact of the 2011 nuclear accident that caused changes to the marine ecosystem.”

Kwon Oh-sang, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, also said, “Japan has yet to submit data on the highly contaminated water and radionuclides that flowed into the sea after the Fukushima accident,” and emphasized, “Import restrictions will continue until Japan submits such data and a judgment is made.” He further stated, “Import restrictions are measures taken as an independent sovereign nation to ensure the safety of our citizens. We will do our utmost to maintain these regulations.”

The government has banned all seafood imports from eight prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima, since September 2013. Some expect that if Japan’s contaminated water discharge process is deemed safe, pressure to lift the seafood import ban may be applied later through World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes. Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, also said immediately after the report’s release, “Lifting import restrictions on Japanese food products remains an important ongoing task for the government.”

The government announced plans to strengthen radiation safety management levels for marine areas and seafood. Monthly surveys will be conducted at eight points in Japan’s adjacent international waters, and the number of marine radiation monitoring stations will be expanded from 92 to 200. Twenty representative beaches will be tested weekly starting this month.

The target number of radiation tests on domestically produced seafood will be increased to more than 8,000 this year, more than double the previous amount. Radiation tests will be conducted before auctions begin at 43 wholesale markets, which handle over 80% of the total domestic seafood auction volume.

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