DP calls on IAEA to reconsider Fukushima report

Diplomacy

Published: 09 Jul. 2023, 12:35 Updated: 09 Jul. 2023, 18:06

DP calls on IAEA to reconsider Fukushima report

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, right, speaks with members of the liberal Democratic Party including Rep. Wi Seong-gon, second from right, at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sunday. [NEWS1]

The liberal Democratic Party (DP) asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to retract its support for Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear site into the sea.

During the DP leadership's meeting with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi at the National Assembly on Sunday, lawmaker Wi Seong-gon said that “as many as 85 percent of Koreans are still against the plan.”

Wi heads a DP committee established to oppose the planned water release.

He also said the global nuclear watchdog should "consider other alternative solutions that would abide by the [United Nations] Law of the Sea Convention, which stresses that member states ought to ensure such pollution does not spread beyond their area of jurisdiction”

Grossi stressed that the IAEA fully understands the concerns of the Korean public.

“We understood and we understand that preoccupations and concerns remain, and some are preoccupied thinking about the implementation of the plan and how this is going to happen in real life,” Grossi said. “This is why I proposed to Japan, and Japan agreed, that the IAEA will establish a permanent review of the plan.”

Grossi said that the IAEA will monitor the release process for decades to ensure it is “done in full accordance” with international standards.

He stressed that the IAEA would continue to hold discussions with the concerned communities, not only in Korea but also in New Zealand and the other Pacific Island states.

Grossi was in Seoul from Friday to Sunday, flying in after his trip to Japan earlier in the week to submit the IAEA’s final assessment of its water discharge plan to the Japanese government.

The agency said Japan's plans are consistent with internationally accepted nuclear safety standards.

A massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, destroying the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Japan plans to release the treated radioactive water from the plant into the sea starting this summer over a period of 30 years.

Members of civic groups protest against the Japanese plan to release its treated radioactive water into the sea in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on Sunday as the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency meets with members of the liberal Democratic Party. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

The Korean government has upheld the IAEA’s assessment of the plan, but political parties remain starkly divided on the issue, with some DP members staging weeks-long hunger strikes against the plan.

“If Mr. Grossi is so certain that the water is safe enough to swim in it or even drink it, why doesn’t he recommend the Japanese government use it for agricultural purposes?” said DP Rep. Woo Won-shik during his meeting with Grossi.

Woo was referring to the IAEA chief's previous comments to Korean media that one could drink or swim in the treated water from Fukushima.

Grossi also met with the Korean team of experts who inspected the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in May, as well as Foreign Minister Park Jin.

After meeting with Park, Grossi wrote on Twitter that the monitoring work to come “is even more important than the work so far.”

He also stressed his resolve to “dispel misconceptions” in Korean society.

Grossi and his team were met with strong protests at Incheon International Airport upon their arrival Friday, forcing them to exit the airport by an alternate route.

Korea’s nuclear safety agencies, including the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) and Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), have conducted independent inspections of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco)’s wastewater discharge plan since 2021.

The agencies on Friday supported the IAEA's findings, stating that the release of the treated wastewater would have "negligible impact on Korean seas."

"Upon reviewing Japan's plan to release the wastewater, the Korean government has confirmed that it meets the maritime emission standard for radioactive density," Government Policy Coordination Minister Bang Moon-kyu said during a daily briefing on the Fukushima water discharge held at the government complex in Seoul on Friday.

"It will take four to five years, or up to 10 years, for the radiation impact to reach Korean waters,” said the minister, adding that the tritium levels are estimated to increase by less than one-100,000th of the current level, even when the impact reaches Korean shores.

In its proposal, Japan will process the wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant with the Advanced Liquid Processing System [ALPS], which removes most of the nuclides from the water except for tritium, according to Tepco.

To lower the tritium level to below 1,500 becquerel (Bq) per liter, which is about one-seventh of the 10,000-Bq level set by the World Health Organization for drinking water, Tepco says that it will dilute the ALPS-treated water and gradually release 1.25 million tons of the Fukushima water over 30 years.

The Korean government will conduct additional safety inspections if any changes are made to the plan, said Bang on Friday.

BY ESTHER CHUNG, SHIN HA-NEE AND SOHN DONG-JOO [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]