Chungnam Leads 'International Cooperation' to Prevent Japan's Radioactive Wastewater Discharge

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province is rolling up its sleeves to block the Japanese government's discharge of radioactive contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

The province announced on the 19th that it plans to take action to prevent Japan's discharge of radioactive contaminated water into the ocean through the Under2 Coalition, an international governmental organization addressing climate change.

Currently, Governor Yang Seung-jo of Chungnam serves as the co-chair of the Under2 Coalition. Based on this, Governor Yang's strategy is to lead the adoption of a joint statement to garner international consensus and prevent Japan from releasing radioactive contaminated water into the sea.

Governor Yang stated, "Recently, the Japanese government decided to discharge contaminated water containing radioactive substances into the ocean without consultation with neighboring countries such as Korea and China, or the international community," and condemned, "This decision is no different from a 'radioactive war' threatening the survival of the world."

He added, "The most important thing to stop Japan's irrational actions is cooperation and solidarity within the international community," emphasizing, "The province plans to focus on leading cooperation with various international organizations while collaborating with global local governments that currently have exchange relationships with Chungnam."

In particular, he said, "We will strive to lead an international joint statement through the Under2 Coalition and demand that international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) jointly respond to block Japan's discharge of radioactive contaminated water into the ocean."

The province also reaffirmed its stance to strengthen responses with local governments nationwide. The core plan is to propose the formation of a special committee under the National Council of Governors for joint response.

Governor Yang appealed, "I propose establishing a joint cooperation body in the form of a special committee under the Council of Governors," adding, "Through this, Chungnam will take a leading role in preparing legal, institutional, and scientific response logic and devising political countermeasures regarding the radioactive contaminated water leakage with all 17 cities and provinces nationwide."

The day before, the Chungnam Provincial Council also urged the Japanese government to withdraw its decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant through a statement.

The council stated, "The Japanese government's policy to discharge radioactive contaminated water is a ruthless decision that threatens the lives and safety of all of us," and insisted, "The policy to discharge into the ocean, which will cause a disaster for all humanity, must be immediately withdrawn."

They continued, "The Japanese government claims that radioactive substances will be reduced below standard levels by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), but there are no research results on how much radioactive material can be removed through the purification process," pointing out, "Above all, in the case of tritium, although dilution can reduce concentration, the total amount of contaminants does not change, so it is absolutely not safe."

They added, "If Japan proceeds with discharging radioactive contaminated water, an irreversible marine pollution disaster will occur, posing a serious threat to the entire world," and demanded, "The Japanese government must immediately disclose all information related to the contaminated water to Korea and the international community."