Global Courant
SEOUL — The South Korean government said Friday it respected the United Nations nuclear energy watchdog’s review of Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the tsunami-devastated Fukushima plant into the ocean, saying it met international standards.
Seoul announced its own assessment after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this week gave the green light to Japan’s plan, despite security concerns in some neighboring countries and signs of consumer backlash.
“Based on an assessment of the pollution water treatment plan presented by Japan, we have confirmed that the concentration of radioactive material meets the standards for discharges into the ocean…Kyu, Minister of the Office of Government Policy Coordination, told a briefing.
“Therefore, the plan complies with international standards, including those of the IAEA,” he said.
Bang said South Korea respected the IAEA’s findings, as the report was based on a task force of global experts set up by an established international agency.
The plan to discharge the treated water from the Fukushima plant is also not expected to have “a meaningful impact on our ocean areas,” Bang said.
South Korea has conducted its own assessment of Japan’s plan to release more than a million tons of treated radioactive water, most of which was used to cool the reactors destroyed by the March 2011 tsunami.
Mr Bang said South Korea’s assessment was conditional on the implementation of the plan as set out by Japan, and that it would conduct further evaluation if there were any changes.
President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government has followed a fine line in its stance on Japan’s discharge proposal as it seeks to improve ties with Tokyo, even though the plan has been a contentious issue with local consumers concerned about safety .
The announcement comes as IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrives in South Korea on Friday for a three-day visit to explain the agency’s findings after it approved Japan’s plan this week.
On Thursday, a group of South Korean lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party held a press conference urging Japan to consider other ways of dealing with the wastewater, including burying it underground or evaporating it.
Grossi will also meet South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin during his visit. REUTERS
