Food imports from 4 Japan prefectures banned

The government yesterday banned food imports from prefectures around Japan’s wrecked nuclear reactors amid growing concerns over radiation contaminated food.

The ban took effect immediately after it was agreed upon by a national policy coordination meeting led by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik yesterday afternoon.

The ban applies to food products from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures.

Yook Dong-han, a senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office, said the government imposed a temporary import ban on vegetables and some other foods that the Japanese government already warned its own people not to consume.

The government said the ban could be extended if Japan imposes further restrictions on shipments or consumption of other vegetables and foods.

Japan has recommended not eating cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach produced in the quake-hit region after it detected radioactivity exceeding standard levels.

It also halted shipments of milk, spinach, parsley and kakina, another leafy vegetable, from the four affected prefectures.

To calm public concern about radiation in Japanese products, the Korean government will post updated results of radiation tests on imports and the latest status of Japan’s radiation contamination on the Web sites of the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Korea Food and Drug Administration.

“The Korean government has been conducting radiation contamination tests on all Japanese imported foods, but none was detected as inedible,” Yook said.

The government currently uses 11 radiation contamination detection machines but plans to start using an additional 13 high-speed mobile radiation detectors next week.

Meanwhile, a suspected breach in the core of one reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could mean more serious radioactive contamination, Japanese officials said yesterday, disclosing what may prove to be a major setback in stabilizing the plant.

The situation halted work yesterday at the nuclear power plant complex, where dozens had been working feverishly to stop the overheated plant from leaking radiation, officials said.

Suspicions of a possible breach were raised when two workers waded into water 10,000 times more radioactive than normal and suffered skin burns.

By Kim Mi-ju [AP, mijukim@joongang.co.kr]

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방사능 오염 4개현 식품 수입 않기로

정부, 당분간 중단 조치

정부는 25일 김황식 국무총리 주재로 국가정책조정회의를 열고 일본 원자력발전소 사고로 방사성 물질에 오염된 지역인 일본 동북부 4개 현의 식품 수입을 당분간 중단하기로 했다.

육동한 국무총리실 국무차장은 “방사능 유출 2차 피해가 확산 중이어서 일본 정부가 ‘섭취제한’과 ‘출하정지’ 지정을 한 품목에 대해선 오염 우려가 해소될 때까지 이날부터 수입을 중단한다”고 말했다. 정부는 23일까지만 해도 일본산 식품의 수입을 계속하겠다는 입장이었지만, 일본에서 방사성 오염 식품의 품목이 늘어나면서 이틀 만에 방침을 선회했다.

현재 일본 정부는 후쿠시마현에서 생산되는 시금치·양배추 등 엽채류, 브로콜리 등을 섭취제한 품목으로 고시했다. 또 이바라키(茨城)·도치기(栃木)·군마(群馬)현에서 난 시금치와 가키나(무청의 일종), 후쿠시마현의 우유·순무, 이바라키현의 우유·파슬리 등을 출하제한 품목으로 지정했다.

미국·이탈리아·호주·싱가포르 등은 현재 일본산 수입 식품에 대해 부분 또는 전체 수입금지 조치를 내린 상태다. 정부는 추가 오염이 확인되거나 일본이 새로 출하정지한 품목을 즉시 수입중단 대상에 포함할 계획이다.