Yoon: "Our Experts Must Participate in Contaminated Water Inspection... Discharge Will Stop If Standards Are Exceeded"

Japan-Korea Summit on Contaminated Water Discharge... Yoon "Respect IAEA Announcement"
Kishida "Will Not Release Water Harmful to Korean People"

President Yoon Suk-yeol requested Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to allow the participation of South Korean experts in the inspection process of the Fukushima contaminated water discharge. In particular, President Yoon demanded that if the radioactive concentration exceeds the standard limit during the discharge process, the discharge must be immediately halted.

On the 12th (local time), President Yoon held a summit meeting with Prime Minister Kishida on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to discuss this agenda.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, visiting Lithuania to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a hotel in Vilnius on the 12th during the South Korea-Japan summit.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The two leaders confirmed each other's positions on the major issue between the two countries, the 'contaminated water discharge.' President Yoon stated, "We respect the announcement by the IAEA, a representative UN-affiliated international organization in the field of nuclear safety," but requested that monitoring information on whether the entire discharge process is being implemented as planned be shared with South Korea in real time and that South Korean experts be allowed to participate in the inspection process of the discharge. In particular, President Yoon emphasized, "The health and safety of the people must be considered the top priority," and demanded that if situations such as the concentration of radioactive materials exceeding the standard occur, the discharge should be immediately stopped and South Korea should be promptly informed of the fact.

Prime Minister Kishida referred to the IAEA comprehensive report and promised, "As the Prime Minister of Japan, I will ensure the utmost safety of the marine discharge and will not allow any discharge that adversely affects the health of our citizens and the people of South Korea or the environment." He also explained, "After the start of the marine discharge, Japan will undergo IAEA reviews and promptly disclose monitoring information conducted by Japan with high transparency," and "If problems such as radioactive material concentrations exceeding the standard occur through this monitoring, appropriate measures including immediate suspension of the discharge as planned will be taken."

In addition, the two leaders agreed to resume the Korea-Japan High-Level Economic Consultative Meeting (a comprehensive economic dialogue body with the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Economic Diplomacy Coordination Officer and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Economic Affairs Diplomatic Counselor as chief representatives) within the year, and sought cooperation measures in various fields such as diplomacy, security, economy, culture, and human exchanges.

They also condemned North Korea's ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) launch. The two leaders emphasized that it is a serious provocation that constitutes a grave violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and escalates tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, strongly condemning it. They shared the recognition that North Korea's nuclear missile provocations seriously undermine regional and global peace and agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and the United States leaders.

A message welcoming the United States' proposal regarding the trilateral summit among South Korea, the United States, and Japan, which will be a groundbreaking milestone for future trilateral security cooperation, was also delivered. The two leaders agreed on the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific region and pledged to continue solidarity in advancing South Korea's "Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Strategy" and Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" initiative.

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