Kim Eo-jun "Fukushima Nuclear Accident, It's Obvious Just by Reading One or Two Articles"
Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun. Photo by TBS Radio, screenshot from the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory'.
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Kim Eo-jun, a broadcaster, criticized former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who is running as a presidential candidate for the People Power Party, for saying that "radioactive leakage basically did not occur" in the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, stating on the 5th, "Yoon's media interviews should be stopped by the party for the time being."
On the same day, Kim said on his TBS program 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' which he hosts, "He makes one statement every day that is factually incorrect or controversial."
Earlier, Yoon was reported to have made remarks in an interview with a media outlet on the 4th suggesting that there was no radioactive leakage from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, which sparked controversy.
Yoon said, "The Fukushima nuclear power plant did not explode," adding, "There was significant damage due to the earthquake and tsunami, but the nuclear plant itself did not collapse, so basically radioactive leakage did not occur." This content has since been deleted from online articles.
Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who ran as the People Power Party's presidential candidate. [Image source=Yonhap News]
In response to these remarks, Kim said, "Units 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Fukushima nuclear power plant all exploded. When the substation equipment was flooded by the tsunami, power was cut off, and cooling water could not be supplied. The reactor could not be cooled, causing a so-called meltdown (the reactor core melting), which breached the containment barrier," explaining, "Nuclear fuel was initially released into the atmosphere, and then a hydrogen explosion occurred. Unit 1 exploded first. This can be quickly verified by reading one or two articles."
He described the Fukushima nuclear accident as "the first incident in human history where multiple reactors melted down simultaneously," and criticized, "What if a presidential candidate says there was no explosion or radioactive leakage? Even now, 10 years later, humans cannot approach the exploded nuclear plant buildings."
Meanwhile, Yoon's campaign team, amid growing controversy, explained, "The article initially posted online was reflected differently from the intended meaning," adding, "Due to the nature of print media, it is inevitable to compress long interviews into articles, so if the meaning is conveyed differently, it is an issue that can be mutually adjusted."
The Fukushima nuclear accident occurred in March 2011 when an earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant buildings, causing a large-scale radioactive leak. The International Atomic Energy Agency rated the Fukushima accident as level 7, the highest level on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), making it the second highest after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
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