IAEA "Providing Contaminated Water Information to Korea... Establishing Information Mechanism" (Comprehensive)

Secretary-General Issues Separate Statement to Korea
Regular Provision of Discharge Information
"Including Notification of Abnormal Incidents"

As Japan plans to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean starting on the 24th, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has promised to share information with South Korea. The IAEA has agreed with South Korea to establish an 'information mechanism' for closely sharing discharge data and will also support visits by South Korean experts to the IAEA field office within the Fukushima nuclear plant. The IAEA stated that it will monitor and evaluate on-site from the first day of Japan's contaminated water discharge to ensure that procedures are carried out in accordance with safety standards.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 22nd (local time), the IAEA issued a statement under the name of Director General Rafael Grossi, saying, "IAEA staff are working on-site to continuously monitor and evaluate these activities to ensure ongoing compliance with safety standards from the start of the discharge." It added, "The IAEA will disclose available data, including real-time and near-real-time monitoring data, for use by the international community." The agency plans to provide additional up-to-date information as soon as the discharge begins.

Accordingly, the IAEA agreed with the Japanese government to have a permanent presence on-site in Fukushima and opened an IAEA field office at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in July. The field office was inaugurated on July 5, the day after the IAEA's final report was released.

The IAEA also issued a separate statement under Director General Grossi’s name addressed to the South Korean government and public. The statement emphasized the continuous sharing of discharge-related information to alleviate concerns among the South Korean public regarding the contaminated water discharge. The IAEA said, "Recently, the South Korean government and the IAEA agreed to establish an information mechanism (IKFIM) for sharing information on the Fukushima nuclear plant contaminated water discharge," and added, "Information on the treated water (IAEA’s term for contaminated water) discharge will be regularly provided to South Korea." The IAEA further noted, "This includes measures to notify South Korea in the event of any 'abnormal incidents.'"

Regarding the agreement to establish IKFIM for sharing discharge information with South Korea, the IAEA stated, "This is a follow-up to Director General Grossi’s visit to South Korea last month, during which he reviewed Japan’s ocean discharge plan and released a comprehensive report."

The IAEA also promised to support visits by South Korean experts to the IAEA field office established at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Director General Grossi said, "From the start of the IAEA’s work assessing discharge safety, we have actively communicated with various countries, including South Korea, to inform them about our important activities," adding, "The only way to address the legitimate concerns of the public is to continue providing information."

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