Government-Party Meeting Scheduled on the 23rd Regarding Contaminated Water Discharge
The People Power Party held a seminar on the 22nd addressing 'fake news rumors' ahead of the Fukushima nuclear plant contaminated water discharge. While the Democratic Party of Korea launched emergency actions such as a 'candlelight rally' condemning the Japanese government's Fukushima nuclear plant contaminated water discharge, the ruling party countered by stating that "a large cartel of fake news is being formed through collusion among power, media, and politics."
The People Power Party's Special Committee for the Prevention of Fake News and Rumors held a seminar titled "What Are Fake News Rumors Aiming For?" in the National Assembly Members' Office Building that afternoon. Party leadership, including Party Leader Kim Gi-hyeon, Policy Committee Chair Park Dae-chul, and Secretary-General Lee Cheol-gyu, all participated.
In his opening remarks, Leader Kim said, "The current situation is that the opposition's power, fake news, fake broadcasts, and fake media that spread these, along with the collusion among power, media, and politics that profits from this, have formed a very large cartel." He criticized, "The Democratic Party, after enjoying significant benefits and aiming for a 100-year rule, lost power in just five years and is now desperately and continuously producing, distributing, and expanding fake news, which is the hotbed of this problem."
He continued, "The THAAD crisis and the Fukushima contaminated water rumor incidents have reached a level that severely threatens the survival and economic activities of many citizens." He emphasized, "Yet, when spreading such rumors in an 'if not, then so be it' manner, if only fines are imposed or a few million won in damages are paid, how can this be considered justice?"
Policy Committee Chair Park Dae-chul also criticized, saying, "A member of the National Assembly is spreading the false claim that the IAEA is not a United Nations (UN) organization," and added, "Fake news such as mad cow disease, the Four Major Rivers Project, the Sewol ferry disaster, and the THAAD rumors now cause historical confusion and social costs in our Republic of Korea."
During the lecture, Professor Kim Gi-hyeon of Seoul National University's Department of Nuclear Engineering presented on "Types of Rumor Dissemination Seen Through the Issue of Fukushima Treated Water Discharge." Professor Kim pointed out, "They throw out suspicions qualitatively without quantitative evidence. Moreover, because they do so without quantitative evidence, they assume extremely unrealistic scenarios close to science fiction novels and create vague anxiety and fear based on that."
He explained, "The logic goes that radiation causes cancer and can lead to death from cancer, but there is almost no discussion about the amount of radiation. People think that natural radiation can kill people and cause cancer," and refuted, "(However,) all substances can reach lethal doses and cause cancer."
Meanwhile, the People Power Party plans to hold a party-government consultation on the 23rd regarding the Fukushima contaminated water discharge to deliver recommendations and receive reports on countermeasures. Seong Il-jong, Chair of the Our Sea Protection Verification TF, stated at the National Assembly that afternoon, "Tomorrow, we will hold a party-government meeting to receive a report on the government's response plan and review it in consultation with the party."
Chair Seong explained that they requested the government to ▲ operate a thorough monitoring system in cooperation with the IAEA ▲ involve Korean experts in on-site monitoring of the discharge ▲ immediately suspend discharge in case of an emergency ▲ strengthen the radioactive monitoring and surveillance system in Korean waters.
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