Minju Holds '17-Hour Emergency Action' Against Japan's Contaminated Water Discharge... 1,500 Gather to Appeal (Comprehensive)

Lee Jae-myung "Government Must Take Opposing Action"
Relay Sit-in from Night of 6th to Morning of 7th
About 1,500 Gather in Front of National Assembly to Appeal for Opposition

The Democratic Party of Korea has launched an all-out campaign to oppose the Japanese government's discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean. Democratic Party lawmakers, who began an overnight sit-in at the National Assembly, emphasized the dangers of the contaminated water discharge and urged the government to file a lawsuit against the Japanese government at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

According to the Democratic Party on the 7th, party leader Lee Jae-myung attended the "Emergency Action Against Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water" that started the previous evening and stayed overnight at the protest site. Since the day before, 100 party lawmakers have been conducting a 17-hour relay filibuster (unlimited debate) opposing the discharge of contaminated water in the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly main building. The 17 hours corresponds to the time it took for the reactor to lose its cooling function and undergo meltdown during the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.

Party leader Lee and the party leadership participated in the overnight sit-in and continued the Supreme Council meeting at the same location the following morning. At the Supreme Council meeting, Lee said, "We will do our best to alleviate even a little the worries of the people who will lose their livelihoods and be threatened," adding, "Instead of dumping the contaminated water into the sea, it should be solidified and stored." He further urged, "The government of the Republic of Korea must oppose the discharge of contaminated water for the national interest and take actual action," and called for "filing a lawsuit at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea."

On the stairs in front of the National Assembly main building on the 7th, Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers and citizens are shouting slogans at a rally urging opposition to the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's contaminated water discharge. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Park Kwang-on, the Democratic Party floor leader, also urged the government and ruling party, saying, "At the upcoming Korea-Japan summit expected to be held during the NATO summit, I hope they clearly state that 85% of the people oppose the ocean dumping of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water and firmly declare opposition to ocean dumping in front of the Japanese Prime Minister," calling for active responses in the international community. He also proposed raising the contaminated water issue as a key agenda at the London Protocol Contracting Parties meeting. Additionally, he demanded answers from Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), who is visiting Korea that day, regarding the reasons for excluding verification of ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) technology and the ecological safety verification after the contaminated water discharge.

Democratic Party lawmakers continued their relay speeches opposing the contaminated water discharge on the day following the overnight sit-in. The first filibuster speaker of the day, lawmaker Eo Gi-gu, pointed out, "Only the People Power Party and the government are doing nothing to oppose the discharge," and criticized, "They are almost acting as Japan's mouthpiece and spokesperson." He raised his voice, saying, "We are preparing a special law to absolutely ban the import of contaminated seafood and protect our seafood," emphasizing the need to reassure the public. Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Won-shik, who is on his 12th day of fasting, stressed, "It is a complete lie to say it is okay because it is diluted," and urged, "The government should not deceive the people in the name of flimsy science."

Democratic Party lawmakers sat on the floor of the protest site holding placards that read "IAEA report is a Japan-tailored canned report" and raised their voices, shouting, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government must declare opposition to ocean dumping of contaminated water!"

Then, from 11 a.m., about 1,500 Democratic Party lawmakers and party officials gathered in front of the main building stairs of the National Assembly to continue the rally, concluding the 17-hour emergency action. Participants held pamphlets with various opposition slogans and shouted, "The entire nation opposes ocean dumping of contaminated water."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Party leader Lee stood before supporters and party members and demanded President Yoon Seok-yeol, "Declare to Director General Grossi that the report is unacceptable," and "Urge Japan to accept a joint investigation of nuclear contaminated water by Pacific Rim countries including the Republic of Korea." He also said, "Demand Japan indefinitely postpone ocean dumping of contaminated water until scientific and objective verification is conducted."

Floor leader Park also emphasized, "We will definitely stop the ocean dumping of Fukushima contaminated water," adding, "The future of the country and the health and lives of our next generations depend on every action we take now."

Starting from this day, the Democratic Party will conduct a "National Bus Tour" to oppose ocean dumping of contaminated water, beginning in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do. The tour will circulate through key regional bases in each city and province on a weekly basis, with the Jeollanam-do region itinerary including Haenam on the 8th, Wando on the 9th, Jindo on the 11th, Mokpo on the 12th, and Yeosu on the 13th.