Seong Il-jong: "Opposition's Contaminated Water Candlelight Rally? Seems to Recall THAAD and Mad Cow Disease"

"Protecting National Safety and Lives Is the Government's Top Priority"

Seong Il-jong, a member of the People Power Party, stated on the 23rd that the opposition party's candlelight rally against the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima might be due to "memories of THAAD or mad cow disease," and argued, "It is the Democratic Party, which led the THAAD and mad cow disease issues, coming out onto the streets now, which kills fishermen and makes the public more anxious."

On the same day, Seong appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and criticized, "This unacceptable political act is doing bad politics to the people now without reflecting on the past."

Regarding the opposition party's stance against the discharge of contaminated water, Seong pointed out, "The opposition currently has no way out, but I think it is self-denial." He said, "Didn't the current government accept all the standards of the Moon Jae-in administration? At that time, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa came to the National Assembly and said, 'We cannot interfere with matters occurring within the sovereign territory,' and Foreign Minister Jeong Eui-yong also said, 'We cannot oppose it if it meets international law and standards,' didn't they?"

He continued, "If that is the case, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is now taking over this policy, managing it more meticulously, expanding cooperation with Japan's contiguous zone and Pacific coastal countries to 10 points, and reflecting all the scientific data we can demand."

Seong Il-jong, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Regarding the government's response as the start date of the contaminated water discharge approaches in one day, he said, "Our government's first duty is to protect the safety and lives of the people," adding, "Therefore, we have been negotiating this issue with the Japanese government with utmost effort and without any margin of error, and many opinions from the Republic of Korea government have been reflected."

Seong said, "Because this discharge was a scheduled event, our government was notified in advance before the Japanese Cabinet made the decision," and added, "When our scientists judged, they concluded there was no scientific or technical problem."

He also stated, "We do not support or endorse the Fukushima discharge," but added, "However, since we are fully complying with international standards and this is understood by the international community, while we neither support nor endorse it, I want to emphasize that we must protect these matters for the coexistence and prosperity of humanity."

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