Fukushima Inspection Team Leader: "Ensuring Public Reassurance Is Our Role... Scientifically Explained Sufficiently"

Focused Inspection of Multi-Nuclide Removal Facility (ALPS)

Yoo Guk-hee, Chairperson of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and head of the inspection team for the Fukushima contaminated water, stated on the 21st, "It is also our role to reassure the public."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Before departing for Japan through Incheon International Airport on the morning of the same day, Yoo said, "If we explain sufficiently through a scientific approach what we have seen and what additional verifications are needed, I believe the public will trust us more."

The government formed an inspection team consisting of 21 members, including Yoo as the head, 19 experts from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, and 1 expert from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology. Regarding the composition of the inspection team, Yoo emphasized, "These are people who have been regulating safety in the radiation field and various nuclear power plant facilities on-site for over 10 to 20 years," adding, "They know the field better than anyone else."

He continued, "Especially since August 2021, these experts have been checking and verifying safety-related aspects of Japan's contaminated water discharge plan by field," and said, "As part of the overall verification process to determine whether Japan's plan is appropriate, we will confirm and inspect the points that need to be checked on-site." He added, "Since the team is composed of top experts and practitioners in each field, we will continue to verify safety based on scientific evidence and standards without bias from anywhere," and stated, "We will conduct a thorough and meticulous inspection as we have prepared rigorously."

The inspection team will check the contaminated water purification and treatment processes over four days from the 22nd to the 25th and return on the 26th. Yoo informed about the detailed schedule, saying, "On the 22nd, as part of preparing for the on-site inspection, we will hold a meeting with Tokyo Electric Power Company officials to check detailed inspection items." On the first day of the Fukushima site visit, the 23rd, he said, "We will focus on the tanks where the contaminated water is stored, starting with the K4 tank group," and added, "We will directly and intensively check the installation status of the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)."

Furthermore, he said, "We will visit the operation control room that operates the facilities for transferring and discharging contaminated water to check how the related equipment is installed," and "We plan to inspect radiation detectors, flow meters, pumps, and shut-off valves at each point."

He explained, "On the 24th, we will visit the chemical analysis building where contaminated water is analyzed," and "We will directly verify the procedures for radionuclide analysis, the equipment used, and also check the installation status of facilities related to contaminated water dilution." On the last day, the 25th, he said, "We will hold a technical meeting with the Japanese side to confirm what needs to be verified and request relevant data."

Regarding additional data requests to the Japanese side, Yoo said, "There may be additional points to discuss depending on the on-site situation," and added, "We have made inquiries six times recently and received responses." He stated, "We plan to look comprehensively from the generation of contaminated water to the discharge point," and "We will check whether radionuclide removal can be properly done focusing on the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and whether safety related to discharge can be guaranteed."

He also added, "If necessary for the completeness of the safety evaluation, we will sufficiently listen to opinions from private experts."