Fukushima Contaminated Water Inspection Team Dispatched on 23-24th... Park Jin: "Will Gather Various Information"

Discussion on the Scale and Schedule of the Director-General Level Consultation Inspection Team
Experts from Government-Affiliated Agencies Expected to Participate
"No Compromise Possible Regarding Public Health"

Regarding the South Korean government's plan to dispatch an expert inspection team to Japan's Fukushima related to the release of contaminated water into the ocean, Foreign Minister Park Jin stated on the 8th, "We expect to obtain various additional information about the safety of the contaminated water ocean discharge," and added, "Whether we can dispel public concerns will be judged by us and discussed with the Japanese side."

Minister Park appeared on YTN's 'Evening News' that day and said, "As relations between the two countries improve, an opportunity has been created for experts sent from Korea to directly visit the site, observe the facilities and equipment, and analyze and assess the situation."

Earlier, the government decided to dispatch an expert inspection team related to the release of contaminated water into the ocean at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan on the 23rd and 24th. A Foreign Ministry official said on the 8th, "We will hold a Korea-Japan director-level consultation soon to discuss the specific details of the inspection team dispatch." The two countries had agreed on the on-site inspection by Korean experts during a summit meeting the previous day.

The inspection team is planned to be composed of officials from relevant ministries and experts from affiliated organizations. Experts will take the lead, and government officials will be organized at the working level to provide support.

The director-level consultation is expected to be held later this week. The size of the inspection team, scope of inspection, duration, and detailed schedule are anticipated to be coordinated. The detailed schedule is reported to include meetings with officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Tokyo Electric Power Company, as well as an inspection of the underwater tunnel facility used for discharging contaminated water into the ocean.

While negotiating the detailed schedule and size of the inspection team, both Korea and Japan are expected to refer to the case of the Taiwanese inspection team that visited Fukushima in March last year. Taiwan dispatched an inspection team of eight members, including experts from the Atomic Energy Council, to Fukushima from March 23 to 27 last year. Since Taiwan is not a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and could not participate in the IAEA multinational inspection team, it formed an independent inspection team with Japan's consent.

A presidential office official said at a briefing at the Yongsan Government Complex that day, responding to media criticism that "inspection alone is insufficient and that Korea should participate in substantive verification work," "While science is the most important when observing any phenomenon, emotional aspects are also clearly present," and added, "Therefore, during President Yoon's visit to Japan last March, when issues regarding contaminated water and seafood were raised by the Korean media, I stated that scientific verification is necessary and that emotional issues are also important."

Minister Park also responded to criticism that the dispatch would be merely formal by saying, "The contaminated water issue is extremely important and related to public health and safety, so no compromise is possible," and "We intend to make this an important opportunity to confirm all the information we want to verify when we visit the site." He emphasized, "There may be differences in expression between inspection and verification, but we plan to meticulously check and confirm each public concern and anxiety in practice."