Opposition Lawmaker Visiting Fukushima Port in Japan: Here's the Reason...

Yang I-won-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea's Task Force for Countermeasures Against the Discharge of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Contaminated Water into the Ocean, appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' on the 3rd and said, "How frustrated must we be for lawmakers to go to the (Fukushima, Japan) site," adding, "They keep repeating only the textbook principles without taking any action or having any data, so after demanding repeatedly, they are now exhausted and going directly."

He said, "We have repeatedly questioned whether the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has confirmed the safety of radioactive contaminated water and whether they have the original data, but they have not," and added, "Since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is not actively responding, it seems necessary for the National Assembly to go directly to request data on the status of radioactive contaminated water and understand the situation, accurately conveying the will of the people."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with Democratic Party lawmakers, shout slogans at a rally opposing the import of Fukushima seafood and condemning humiliating diplomacy toward Japan, held on the stairs in front of the National Assembly main building in Yeouido, Seoul on the 30th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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He pointed out, "Now, with the decision to discharge (contaminated water) expected from April, May, or at the latest before summer, they just keep repeating only the fundamental talk," and said, "They are not taking any action, and without having any data on the status of radioactive contaminated water, what they are saying is no different from silence."

He added, "Overall in Japan, the media there is reporting as if our country's president is tacitly approving it, so shouldn't we also inform Japan that this is not the case?"

Lawmaker Yang also noted that if the discharge of Fukushima contaminated water is tacitly approved, the justification for banning imports of Fukushima seafood will be lost.

He explained, "The WTO complaint was based on the fact that among seafood caught in the contaminated surrounding area, some might be contaminated," and added, "Because it could affect the health of the people, the import ban measure was not considered a violation of free trade."

He continued, "However, if we tacitly approve the discharge of radioactive contaminated water, it means we do not consider that level of contamination significant and that it is acceptable," and said, "Then, people will ask, 'If that level of contamination is acceptable, why ban imports?' and the justification will disappear. The discharge of contaminated water is, in other words, another way of saying the import ban will be lifted."

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