Cho Junghoon Criticizes President Lee: "Called Japan's Contaminated Water 'Nuclear Terror,' But Silent on North Korea"

Posted on Social Media: "President Lee's Voice Is Nowhere to Be Heard"
"The President Must Stand as Head of State, Not as a Politician"

Amid reports that untreated radioactive wastewater from the uranium refining plant in Pyongsan, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, has flowed into the West Sea, Representative Cho Junghoon of the People Power Party criticized,

"Why does President Lee Jaemyung call it a 'nuclear terror' when it comes to Japan, but remain silent on North Korea?"

On June 30, Representative Cho wrote on his Facebook account under the title, "What is President Lee Jaemyung's response to North Korea's discharge of nuclear contaminated water?" He stated, "While satellite images and expert warnings are pouring in, the President's voice is nowhere to be heard."

Jung Joon Ko, Chair of the People Power Party's General Election White Paper Special Committee, is speaking at the 3rd General Election White Paper Special Committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the 14th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

He referenced President Lee's 2023 statement regarding the release of radioactive wastewater from Fukushima, Japan, in which Lee said, "The discharge of nuclear contaminated water is nuclear terror and a crime against humanity."

He went on to say, "The government only repeats that 'nothing has been detected,'" pointing out that precise analysis of radioactivity in the Han River is conducted only twice a year. He further noted, "There is not even a systematic monitoring network at the estuary and tributaries," and added, "If the government claims that nothing has been detected in places that have not been measured, it is like closing one's eyes and saying 'I see nothing.'"

Representative Cho called for increasing the frequency of radioactivity monitoring in the Han River, its tributaries, and estuary to at least once a month. He also insisted that automatic monitoring networks should be installed in the West Sea and at the estuary, stating, "If North Korea's intentional discharge is proven true, that is when the term 'nuclear terror' should be used."

He continued, "The public wants the government to maintain consistent principles," emphasizing, "When it comes to life and safety, the President must stand as the head of state, not as a politician."

Meanwhile, recent analysis suggests that untreated radioactive wastewater from the uranium refining plant in Pyongsan, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, has flowed into the West Sea via local rivers. Dr. Jung Sunghak, a remote sensing expert with the Korea Aerospace Security Association, analyzed 'WorldView-3' satellite images from the US Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) for the North Korea-focused media outlet Daily NK. He claimed, "Satellite images taken in late October last year captured wastewater being discharged from the sedimentation pond of the Pyongsan uranium plant into a small stream via a drainage channel." He added, "The wastewater flowed about 2 kilometers along the small stream before meeting the Yesong River, and from there, the contaminated water likely moved southward, passing through Ganghwa Bay and eventually entering the West Sea."