South Korea has expressed its belief that Japan’s proposal to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean meets international standards. This comes after a review by the United Nations atomic agency deemed the controversial plan to be safe. South Korea conducted its own assessments, including an inspection of the plant in May, and concluded that the release of over 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water would be safe if executed as detailed in the proposal.
Minister Bang Moon-kyu, from the Office for Government Policy Coordination in South Korea, confirmed that the concentration of radioactive material met ocean discharge standards and international norms, including those set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The proposal to release the water, which has been used to cool the reactors and stored in large tanks on-site, has raised concerns among Japan’s neighboring countries and Pacific island nations affected by nuclear weapons testing. The potential risks associated with the radioactive isotope tritium, which is difficult to remove from water, have been a key point of concern.
The IAEA’s two-year safety review affirmed that Japan would dilute the water to reduce its radioactivity to regulatory standards. The controlled and gradual discharges, which are expected to take place over several decades, were deemed to have negligible radiological impacts on both people and the environment.
While the IAEA’s approval has paved the way for Japan to proceed with the water release, China has emerged as a strong critic. The Chinese government criticized the IAEA report, claiming that it failed to fully reflect the views of participating experts. However, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi defended the report’s scientific accuracy and stressed that it aligned with international standards.
In response to the IAEA report, China’s customs department announced a ban on food imports from 10 Japanese prefectures due to safety concerns, and it plans to intensify testing for radioactive substances. South Korea also maintains a ban on seafood products from the Fukushima region. These bans have raised concerns within Japan, particularly among fishing communities that worry about the impact on their livelihoods.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant was severely damaged in the 2011 tsunami, resulting in a nuclear disaster. The treated water comes from the cooling process of the damaged reactors, and the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) filters out most radioactive elements. The large number of tanks storing the treated water has led Japan to consider discharging it into the ocean due to limited storage space. The ongoing debates and discussions surrounding the safety and environmental impact of the water release plan persist.
