Seong-Hoon Park, Deputy Minister of Oceans and Fisheries: "Monthly Discounts on Seafood When Discharging Contaminated Water... Strengthening Supply"

Deputy Minister Park Interview with Asia Economy
Indicates Support for Consumption to Continue Until Next Year
Securing Increased Budget for Next Year
Expanding Monitoring Scope for Water Exchange

Park Seong-hoon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, stated on the 21st, "If Japan discharges contaminated water from Fukushima, we will hold seafood discount events of up to 50% every month to boost consumption."

In a written interview with Asia Economy on the same day, Vice Minister Park said, "To respond to the decline in seafood consumption after the discharge, we will minimize the backlog of products at production sites and actively secure sales channels for the fisheries industry." He added that they plan to mobilize all available resources, including linking with 14 domestic retail companies, about 1,700 stores, and 25 online shopping malls.

To prepare for a prolonged decline in seafood consumption, plans are also being considered to continue discount support until next year. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is discussing with the Ministry of Economy and Finance a plan to increase next year’s budget for seafood consumption support by more than 50% from this year’s 64 billion KRW. If the budget is secured, the use of seafood-specific Zero Pay mobile gift certificates usable in traditional markets and Onnuri gift certificates that refund a certain portion of the purchase amount on the same day are expected to be continuously implemented until next year.

Park Seong-hoon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, is giving a daily briefing on Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 21st. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Vice Minister Park also hinted at expanding government stockpiles of domestic seafood. Previously, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries had been considering expanding government stockpiles and private purchases by about 70,000 tons this year, taking into account the decline in domestic seafood consumption due to the discharge of nuclear power plant contaminated water. The government stockpile is about 40,000 tons, and private purchases about 30,000 tons. If the decrease in seafood consumption is significant or prolonged, they plan to respond flexibly to the supply volume. He said, "We will actively seek large-scale consumers by directly meeting with economic organization leaders and companies to expand the use of domestic seafood in corporate group meals and other areas."

Vice Minister Park also announced plans to strengthen marine environment and seafood monitoring in the event of contaminated water discharge. He said, "We will further strengthen ballast water monitoring and expand the ballast water exchange measures currently implemented for Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures to six prefectures near Fukushima in case of contaminated water discharge." Ballast water is seawater injected to maintain the ship’s balance and stability depending on cargo load. Earlier this year, there were concerns about the possible discharge of ballast water injected near Fukushima, Japan, into domestic waters.

In addition to the existing two prefectures, the government is currently conducting pilot monitoring of ballast water at four ports in Aomori, Iwate, Ibaraki, and Chiba prefectures. However, in the event of contaminated water discharge, the monitoring scope will be officially expanded through mandatory measures. They also plan to conduct a full investigation to verify whether ballast water exchange has been performed and to check for radioactive contamination.

Vice Minister Park emphasized, "We clearly oppose the unilateral discharge of contaminated water without scientific and objective verification of safety," and added, "We will continue the complete import ban on seafood from eight prefectures including Fukushima, strengthen radiation monitoring, and respond with the nation’s interests in mind, prioritizing the health and safety of the people."

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