Seoul, Tokyo remain apart on specifics of Korea's Fukushima inspection

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, September 23, 2023 | 20:56

Foreign Affairs

Seoul, Tokyo remain apart on specifics of Korea's Fukushima inspection

Posted : 2023-05-14 16:10

Updated : 2023-05-15 16:57

Storage tanks hold contaminated water at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Feb. 21, 2021. Seoul and Tokyo have not reached an agreement on the specifics of the planned Korean inspection of the tsunami-damaged plant, officials said Sunday. AFP-Yonhap

Expert says it's too late to do anything meaningful

By Jung Min-ho

Seoul and Tokyo are struggling to agree on the specifics for the planned Korean inspection of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

According to officials, Sunday, the two countries were still in talks over the size of the Korean inspection team and what they will be allowed to do at the tsunami-damaged nuclear plant among other issues, ahead of their four-day visit to the area next week.

The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant's operator, say the release of the contaminated water into the sea will begin in the coming months ― possibly this July after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) releases its final report on the issue.

Before releasing the irradiated water, TEPCO says it will be filtered through a system designed to remove hazardous radionuclides. But the filtering process cannot separate tritium, a harmful radioactive isotope of hydrogen, which concerns many local residents as well as neighboring countries.

Suh Kune-yull, a professor emeritus of nuclear engineering at Seoul National University, is among those who remain skeptical that the Korean inspectors will dispel safety and environmental concerns about the water.

"It's too late to do anything meaningful to change the course," Suh told The Korea Times. "Whatever the inspectors find or say, which I doubt they will, Japan will most likely follow its water-release schedule."

His skepticism comes from the formation of the group, which is expected to exclude civilian experts, as well as the "questionable timing" following President Yoon Suk Yeol's summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this month.

"I think the inspection was motivated by politics rather than science," he said. "We could've sent such a team earlier like Taiwan did last year … What concerns me is that there has been little PR effort by Japan after the Taiwan inspection team's repeated visits to the Fukushima area. If it was confirmed to be safe, I think Japan would have promoted it."

Members of liberal opposition parties and civic groups stage a rally against a planned visit by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 4. AP-Yonhap

Speaking at a media conference, Friday, Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said that Korea would be able to analyze the situation more thoroughly by taking advantage of all the data available as a member country of the IAEA ― unlike Taiwan ― through the international organization. Asked whether Korea's safety confirmation of the water discharge plan would lead to the lifting of Korea's ban on sea product imports from the region, Park vehemently dismissed the possibility, saying it "will never happen."

But that cannot be guaranteed, Suh said. Japan could capitalize on the Korean government's report to shore up its case if it decides to bring the issue to the World Trade Organization or other international bodies when it feels necessary, he noted.

However, some experts such as Shin Kak-soo, former Korean ambassador to Japan, say the government should focus rather on what it can earn through the inspection. Japan, they say, can and will release the contaminated water ― with or without Korea's approval.

This issue may well be another big test of the government, which, under President Yoon, has been struggling to maintain public approval ratings while trying to improve ties with Tokyo after years of diplomatic disputes over many issues.

According to a poll released on Sunday, 51.6 percent of the respondents said they think sending an inspection team to Fukushima is a diplomatically wrong decision, with 41.3 percent approving it.

As part of the effort to ensure safety, Korea's oceans ministry said it plans to conduct a rapid radiation test on ballast water from ships departing from 17 ports near Fukushima. If Japan begins to release some 1.25 million tons of wastewater as planned, the ministry said it will order all ships coming from the ports to refill their ballast water before entering Korean waters.

mj6c2@koreatimes.co.kr