Lifting Ban on Fukushima Seafood Imports?…MFDS Says "No Chance. Separate Issue from Contaminated Water"

Explained on YouTube Broadcast... "Domestic Radiation Standards Are 10 Times Stricter Than International Standards"

The authorities have firmly stated that there are "no plans to lift" the ban on seafood imports from eight prefectures near Fukushima, Japan, amid concerns about the potential lifting of the ban.

On the 25th, Oh Yu-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, appeared on a live broadcast on the National Human Resources Development Institute's YouTube channel and responded to related questions by making an X sign with both hands, saying, "Regardless of the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima, Japan, there are no plans to lift the ban on seafood imports from the eight nearby prefectures." Commissioner Oh explained, "The import ban on the eight prefectures near Fukushima was established due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident and is fundamentally a separate issue from the discharge of contaminated water."

On the 25th, Oh Yu-kyung, the Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, appeared on the YouTube broadcast "Ontong Live National Agenda" and showed an X sign with her hand, stating that there will be no lifting of the ban on seafood imports from eight prefectures near Fukushima.
[Photo by Ontong Live National Agenda YouTube]

She continued, "The domestic food radiation standard is 100 becquerels (Bq) per kilogram, which is 10 times stricter than the Codex Alimentarius Commission's international standard of 1,000 becquerels per kilogram." She emphasized that for imported seafood from Japan, if even 0.5 becquerels of radiation is detected, a certificate for 17 additional radionuclides is required, so seafood with even trace amounts of radiation below the standard is practically not imported.

Furthermore, she guided that the status of radiation inspections is updated daily and can be checked by anyone on the 'Imported Food Radiation Safety Information' website. Regarding the recent controversy over Japanese salt, she reported that joint inspections with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries found no cases of radiation-related non-compliance.

Regarding the recent spread of narcotics, she expressed concern about the lowering age of drug exposure. Commissioner Oh explained, "In 2017-2018, the main age group of drug offenders was in their 40s, but in 2019 it shifted to people in their 30s, and by 2020, those under their 20s became the main age group."

Jeong Jae-hoon, a professor at Jeonbuk National University College of Pharmacy who participated as a discussant, warned, "Among students, there is quite a common reaction that 'marijuana is okay,' but marijuana acts as a gateway to other drugs."

Commissioner Oh emphasized the perception that "drug addiction is a treatable disease." She introduced recently established rehabilitation centers in the Chungcheong region, saying, "Just attending rehabilitation programs does not leave a record or anything."

Regarding measures to eradicate drugs, Commissioner Oh stated, "The government will go beyond focusing on supply suppression and will make every effort to prevent, rehabilitate, and suppress demand."