Japan's Fukushima Contaminated Water, South Korean Government's Independent Review Report to Be Released Tomorrow

IAEA Issues Suitability Judgment on 4th, South Korea Releases Independent Report Three Days Later Reflecting Two Years of Investigation Results

The South Korean government's independent verification report on Japan's Fukushima contaminated water will be released tomorrow (the 7th). This comes just three days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a 'conformity judgment' on the contaminated water discharge plan on the 4th, with our government's own verification report now forthcoming.

At present, it is highly likely that the analysis results will be similar to those of the IAEA's verification. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan is set to issue the certificate of completion for Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) discharge facilities on the 7th, effectively starting the countdown to the contaminated water discharge.

On the 6th, Park Gu-yeon, the First Deputy Secretary of the State Council, stated at a daily briefing held at the Government Seoul Office, "Based on the analysis of publicly available Japanese data and materials obtained by the inspection team, our government's review report results will be disclosed to the public and the media tomorrow."

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, at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

At the announcement of the final review report tomorrow, National Assembly Secretary Visit Gyu, Nuclear Safety Commission Chair Yoo Guk-hee, who oversaw the report's preparation, and vice ministers from related ministries will be present. Deputy Secretary Park referred to the occasion as "an important moment marking the fruition of our government's efforts over the past two years."

Our government's independent review report is expected to include details on discharge inspections, separate analyses of raw data secured by the Fukushima inspection team, and inspection details of the trial operation of Japan's discharge facilities.

The South Korean government began scrutinizing Japan's Fukushima contaminated water discharge plan in August 2021. After conducting independent scientific and technical reviews, the dispatch of a Korean nuclear power inspection team was agreed upon during the Korea-Japan summit on May 7. From May 22, a team of 21 experts conducted a 5-night, 6-day inspection of the nuclear power plant site and key equipment. Chair Yoo also led the on-site inspection as the team leader.

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary Park stated that the NRA has effectively entered the process of approving TEPCO's marine discharge of contaminated water. On the 7th, the NRA is scheduled to issue TEPCO a certificate of completion for the pre-use inspection of the contaminated water discharge facilities, indicating that preparations for marine discharge are complete. Deputy Secretary Park said, "It is understood that concrete reviews regarding the timing of marine discharge, targeting this summer, will begin soon," adding, "We will provide further updates as additional information becomes available."