A Yun Seok-yeol Government That Has Never Opposed: Fukushima Radioactive Water Discharge

The South Korean government has never officially opposed Japan's plan to discharge radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. While it conducted its own checks on the potential risks of the discharge and found no scientific issues, it has been criticized for essentially aligning itself with Japan's plan, despite significant opposition among its citizens.

 

Although the government vehemently denied dismissing the concerns and anxieties of its citizens as "groundless rumors," relying solely on international organizations and scientific arguments had its limitations in alleviating public concerns.

 

On the 22nd of the month, the South Korean government responded to Japan's decision to begin the radioactive water discharge on the 24th, stating that it had "determined that there were no scientific or technical issues with the planned water discharge" and emphasized that "it does not support or endorse the discharge." However, the government continued to take actions that effectively supported the discharge. The government consistently stated that the oceanic discharge decision falls under Japan's sovereignty and respected the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which concluded that there were no safety issues.

 

Criticism has arisen, suggesting that the government's self-conducted verification process will be used to justify Japan's decision to discharge the radioactive water. The turning point was the South Korea-Japan summit meeting between President Yun Seok-yeol and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on May 7th. President Yun stated at that time that they had agreed to send a South Korean expert delegation to conduct an on-site inspection regarding the Fukushima radioactive water issue and mentioned, "We hope that meaningful measures, taking into account the demands of our citizens for objective verification based on science, will be taken."

 

 

Following this, a government inspection team led by Yoo Guk-hee, the chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, visited Japan from May 21 to 26 to inspect the Fukushima nuclear power plant and related facilities. There were arguments suggesting that private-sector experts should be included for objective verification, but this effort was thwarted due to the government's passive attitude and opposition from the Japanese government, raising transparency concerns regarding the inspection.

 

Speculations that the discharge was imminent arose when the IAEA delivered its final report to the Japanese government on April 4, stating that the plan for the water discharge was safe. At the time, the government reiterated its position, saying, "We respect the IAEA as an authoritative international organization."

 

 

Three days after the release of the IAEA's final report, on July 7th, the government published its own scientific and technical verification results, strengthening its support for the Japanese government's radioactive water discharge plan. The government stated that it had "confirmed that Japan's discharge plan conforms to international standards, including the IAEA." This was interpreted as effectively supporting the discharge.

 

As concerns about the radioactive water discharge escalated, President Yun requested three measures from Prime Minister Kishida during the South Korea-Japan summit held on June 12th as part of the NATO summit. However, Prime Minister Kishida did not respond to these requests at that time. Subsequently, both governments engaged in working-level consultations to address President Yun's demands.

 

 

During the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit held at Camp David in the United States on July 18th (local time), President Yun stated that he "trusts the IAEA's inspections, which are internationally credible" and emphasized the need to verify whether the discharge was being carried out as planned. This led to assessments in Japan that President Yun had lent support to the radioactive water discharge issue.

 

The prioritization of strengthening South Korea-U.S.-Japan military cooperation in response to the North Korean nuclear threat may be related to this situation. Against this backdrop, it appears that South Korea pursued an improvement in its relations with Japan and made concessions on the issues of compensation for forced labor and the radioactive water discharge.

 

 

The South Korean government has been holding daily briefings on the discharge issue since June 15th, when the operation to prepare for the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant began. The government revealed its structural limitations as it could not make independent decisions regarding the Japanese government's discharge plan. Although the government vehemently denied dismissing the concerns and anxieties of its citizens as "groundless rumors," relying solely on international organizations and scientific arguments had its limitations in alleviating public concerns.