S. Korea to actively deal with radioactive water discharge from Fukushima plant
- 5 years ago
South Korea has vowed to actively seek ways to deal with Japan's planned discharge of water contaminated as a result of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Seoul's move comes as concerns rise that storage space will soon run out... and Japanese officials will be forced to release some of the highly-radioactive water into the ocean.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
The treatment of radioactive water stored in tanks in Fukushima has become the subject of intense international concern in recent months,... including in South Korea,... as reports say the Japanese government is considering releasing it into the Pacific Ocean.
And now, South Korea one of Japan's closest neighbors says it will seek ways to deal with Tokyo's planned discharge.
"We will work closely with institutions and countries in the Pacific Rim that will be affected and actively respond to any potential water discharge from the Fukushima plant."
Tokyo Electric Power Corporation,... which manages the storage of the toxic water,... says it will run out of space in three years.
Greenpeace warned in a report earlier this year that South Korea will be among the nations most affected by any discharge.
And with the IAEA General Conference to be held in Vienna in September,... and the South Korea-China-Japan Top Regulators' Meeting on Nuclear Safety taking place in China in November,... Seoul plans to raise the issue,... and consider other concrete actions.
Asked about the possibility of South Korea boycotting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics over the matter,... Seoul's foreign affairs ministry did not provide a direct answer.
Citing the same problem, a number of U.S. media outlets, including the Washington Post, have raised concerns over the safety of American athletes heading to Tokyo next summer.
Since 2013,... South Korea has blocked all seafood imports from eight Japanese prefectures near Fukushima after it was found that contaminated water was leaking into the ocean.
While Tokyo sought to challenge Seoul's decision by lodging a complaint at the World Trade Organization,... the WTO in April ruled in Seoul's favor,... saying the measures do not amount to unfair trade restrictions or arbitrary discrimination.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
Seoul's move comes as concerns rise that storage space will soon run out... and Japanese officials will be forced to release some of the highly-radioactive water into the ocean.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
The treatment of radioactive water stored in tanks in Fukushima has become the subject of intense international concern in recent months,... including in South Korea,... as reports say the Japanese government is considering releasing it into the Pacific Ocean.
And now, South Korea one of Japan's closest neighbors says it will seek ways to deal with Tokyo's planned discharge.
"We will work closely with institutions and countries in the Pacific Rim that will be affected and actively respond to any potential water discharge from the Fukushima plant."
Tokyo Electric Power Corporation,... which manages the storage of the toxic water,... says it will run out of space in three years.
Greenpeace warned in a report earlier this year that South Korea will be among the nations most affected by any discharge.
And with the IAEA General Conference to be held in Vienna in September,... and the South Korea-China-Japan Top Regulators' Meeting on Nuclear Safety taking place in China in November,... Seoul plans to raise the issue,... and consider other concrete actions.
Asked about the possibility of South Korea boycotting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics over the matter,... Seoul's foreign affairs ministry did not provide a direct answer.
Citing the same problem, a number of U.S. media outlets, including the Washington Post, have raised concerns over the safety of American athletes heading to Tokyo next summer.
Since 2013,... South Korea has blocked all seafood imports from eight Japanese prefectures near Fukushima after it was found that contaminated water was leaking into the ocean.
While Tokyo sought to challenge Seoul's decision by lodging a complaint at the World Trade Organization,... the WTO in April ruled in Seoul's favor,... saying the measures do not amount to unfair trade restrictions or arbitrary discrimination.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.