"Wow, They Themselves"… Kim Yoon-ah Comments on Netizens Opposing Japan's Contaminated Water

On the 24th, posted "Thinking about Hell"
8,000 comments in 4 days... Many malicious comments
"Is the second Cheongsan Gyuri your role model?" criticism also raised

Kim Yoon-ah, the vocalist of the band Jaurim, posted a message online criticizing Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water from the nuclear power plant, sparking a heated debate among netizens. In response to the controversy, Kim Yoon-ah remarked, "Those people I had only heard about in words have kindly come to leave comments."

On the 24th, Kim Yoon-ah posted on her Instagram account an image with a black background bearing the phrase "RIP (Rest In Peace) 地球 (Earth)" along with the caption, "On a day like today, I think about hell." This day marked the start of Japan's discharge of treated contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

She also posted a message expressing concern about environmental pollution caused by the discharge of contaminated water. She wrote, "For several days, I have been engulfed in anger," adding, "The cinematic dystopia of Blade Runner +4 years is beginning to become reality. The landscape of LA in the movie where radioactive rain never stops and no light penetrates."

Singer Kim Yuna [Image source=Instagram]

As of the morning of the 28th, the post had received about 25,000 likes and 8,000 comments. Netizens' reactions to Kim Yoon-ah's criticism were diverse. Some praised her, saying, "A courageous statement in times like these is admirable," and "Other celebrities are all silent," while others left malicious comments.

Jeon Yeo-ok, a former member of the Saenuri Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party), publicly criticized Kim Yoon-ah's remarks, asking, "Is your role model the second Cheong Sang-gyu-ri?" Cheong Sang-gyu-ri is a derogatory nickname coined after actress Kim Gyu-ri said during the 2008 candlelight protests against US beef imports that she would rather put cyanide in her mouth than eat American beef.

Jeon said, "She claims to have been engulfed in anger for several days, but that doesn't make sense. Shouldn't she have been angry since the 2011 Fukushima accident?" She pointed out, "In 2011, 'untreated contaminated water' was discharged, but now it is 'treated water.'"

Kim Yuna's critical post published online has sparked controversy. [Image source=Instagram]

Kim Yoon-ah also responded directly to netizens' criticism. To a netizen who pointed out, "It says you went to Japan after the accident, so if you were worried, you shouldn't have gone in the first place," Kim sarcastically replied, "Those people have kindly come to leave comments."

Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) discharged contaminated water stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea at around 1:03 p.m. on the 24th. The amount of water discharged that day was approximately 200 to 210 tons, and it was treated contaminated water purified by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).

TEPCO plans to continue purifying the contaminated water, dilute it with seawater, and gradually discharge it into the Pacific Ocean. The total amount of contaminated water to be discharged over 30 years is expected to reach 1.34 million tons.