With "Trust the Government"... Opposition Party Says "Government Should Firmly Oppose"

Lee Jae-myung "Discharge of Contaminated Water is the Second Pacific War"
Yoon Jae-ok "Will Demand Suspension of Discharge if Any Minor Changes Occur in Japan's Promise, Will Enforce It"

On the 23rd, one day before the Japanese government's discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, both ruling and opposition parties focused all their efforts on a public opinion battle. The People Power Party appealed for trust in the government and ruling party, stating that there is no scientific problem with the contaminated water discharge, while the Democratic Party of Korea pressured the Yoon Seok-yeol administration to clearly oppose Japan's stance.

On the same day, the People Power Party, along with government officials, introduced their position and countermeasures regarding the contaminated water discharge through an emergency meeting of the "Protect Our Sea Verification Task Force," and criticized the Democratic Party's claims of a state of emergency as 'rumors.' Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the meeting, "What is important is science and facts," adding, "Scientific facts confirmed by numerous experts show that Fukushima's contaminated water will circulate clockwise in the Pacific Ocean and reach our country's waters in at least 4 to 5 years. If the contaminated water threatens life and health, why would countries like the United States, Canada, and Mexico, where the contaminated water would arrive earlier than us, not oppose the discharge?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Floor leader Yoon said, "What our government must do to protect the people is not political strife but thorough monitoring and surveillance to establish practical safety measures for the public," and introduced, "Since June 15, the government has been providing daily briefings on the safety management of our waters and seafood, and has established multiple layers of verification procedures to ensure no impact on the safety and health of the people." He emphasized, "Safety monitoring of our waters and seafood will be further strengthened, and the ban on imports of seafood from areas near Fukushima will continue as is." Yoon criticized the Democratic Party's behavior, saying, "Despite these safety measures, the Democratic Party's attempt to stir public anxiety and use this as a political tool is a backward political act no different from the false agitation during the mad cow disease incident and is irresponsible."

On the other hand, the opposition strongly condemned Japan and the government.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge will be recorded as the second Pacific War," adding, "Japan, which threatened the survival rights of neighboring countries through imperialist invasion wars in the past, is trying to bring an irreversible disaster to South Korea and Pacific coastal countries through the discharge of nuclear contaminated water." He stated, "We strongly condemn Japan's contaminated water discharge and declare that any damage caused by the dumping of contaminated water will be entirely the responsibility of the Japanese government."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued to criticize the South Korean government's response, saying, "The government is representing the Japanese government, not the people," and pointed out, "Merchants are outraged as the worst-case scenario they feared has come true, but the Yoon Seok-yeol administration announced that Japan's discharge is not a problem, while adding that they neither support nor endorse it." Lee questioned, "Is this a trick played on the people? Both sophistry and deceiving the public should be done within limits," and opposed, "If there is even a shred of concern for the people, the government should boldly declare its opposition."

The Democratic Party is expected to launch an offensive according to the schedule prepared by the Fukushima Contaminated Water Comprehensive Countermeasures Committee. The committee has defined the period before and after the start of the contaminated water dumping as a state of emergency and prepared a first-phase 100-hour intensive response plan until the 26th. On the 24th, a large-scale street march will be held from Gwanghwamun Square to the Yongsan Presidential Office starting at 10 a.m. On the 25th, Kim Seong-hwan, head of the committee's Strategic Planning Headquarters and a member of the National Assembly, will meet with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and hold an emergency press conference regarding the international treaty 'London Convention.' An outdoor rally is scheduled for the weekend on the 26th.

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