Presidential Office to Serve 'Uri Susanmul' in Cafeteria First Amid Public Anxiety

Providing Rockfish and Sea Squirt at Cafeteria... Twice a Week or More After September
Presidential Office: "Protecting Public Health Is Science, Not Political Propaganda"

The Presidential Office has decided to focus on serving seafood from Korea at the cafeteria tables in the Yongsan Presidential Office building, hoping that the public will consume our seafood with confidence. This measure comes in response to growing public anxiety over the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

First, from the 28th of this month to September 1st, for one week, Korean seafood will be provided daily as the lunch menu in the cafeteria. During this period, it will be served daily to all staff and visiting journalists at the cafeterias of both the Presidential Office and the Presidential Security Service, and after September, Korean seafood will be offered as a main menu item at least twice a week.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Korean seafood menu includes frequently consumed items such as hairtail, conch, flatfish, and mackerel, as well as Wando abalone and Tongyeong sea eel, sea squirts, and rockfish, which have recently faced difficulties due to price drops. On the 28th, assorted sashimi (flatfish and rockfish) and grilled mackerel will be served; on the 29th, Jeju-style braised hairtail and seasoned conch; on the 30th, sea squirt bibimbap and sweet and sour rockfish; and on the 31st, sea eel rice bowl, butter-grilled abalone, and gimbugak (seaweed crisps) will be offered.

Earlier, the Japanese government began discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean starting at 1 p.m. on the 24th. This marks two years and four months since then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided in April 2021 to dispose of the contaminated water by ocean discharge, and about twelve and a half years since the Fukushima nuclear accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.

In response, the Presidential Office stated, "Protecting the health of our people is not political agitation but science." Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also announced in a public address that the government will prioritize the health and safety of the people and conduct thorough monitoring. Prime Minister Han said, "The government will secure transparent information from the international community and the Japanese government and will thoroughly monitor our seas, the waters near Japan, and the Pacific Ocean." To ensure rigorous monitoring, Korean experts will be dispatched every two weeks to the local International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) office, and even when Korean experts are not present locally, data related to the discharge will be received from the Japanese side every hour.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to dilute and discharge about 460 tons of contaminated water daily into the sea for 17 days after the start of discharge, initially releasing 7,800 tons of contaminated water into the ocean. The expected total volume of contaminated water to be discharged this year is 31,200 tons. After the discharge begins, concentration analysis will be conducted once a week.

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