Government: "If Japan's contaminated water does not meet safety standards, we will oppose its discharge"

Government: "Is the Japanese government spokesperson for contaminated water discharge?... Insulting remarks to public officials"

Park Gu-yeon, the First Deputy Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, clearly stated on the 20th that “if the discharge of Fukushima contaminated water does not meet scientific safety standards, our government will oppose the discharge.”

At a daily briefing on Fukushima contaminated water that day, Deputy Minister Park said, “Our government has never pre-judged the discharge of contaminated water as safe, nor has it agreed to the discharge.”

He added, “Under the principle that the health and safety of our people are paramount, we have been taking necessary measures to thoroughly verify the scientific safety of Japan’s contaminated water treatment based on cooperation with the international community.” Deputy Minister Park also said, “I reiterate that if, after such verification, the discharge does not meet scientific safety standards, our government will oppose the discharge.”

Park Gu-yeon, First Deputy Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination (left), and Yoo Guk-hee, Head of the Expert On-site Inspection Team, are announcing the activity plan for the team's visit to Japan, which will be dispatched to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, on the 19th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The government’s statement is interpreted as a response to recent political attacks from opposition parties claiming that our government is taking a submissive stance regarding the Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water and is acting as a representative of the Japanese government.

Deputy Minister Park said, “Such distortions are insulting remarks against public officials who are doing their best for our people. I clearly state that this is not true.”

He emphasized again, “Our government is verifying in various ways whether the contaminated water meets internationally recognized standards by participating in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections and independently obtaining data from the Japanese side.”