“Korea-Japan Consultations for Fukushima Contaminated Water Inspection Team”

◀ Anchor ▶

Ahead of the dispatch of a polluted water inspection team to the Fukushima nuclear power plant, officials from Korea and Japan will meet today to hold working-level discussions.

Controversy over the effectiveness of this visit is fierce, so attention is focused on the contents of the consultation.

Reporter Ryu Hyun-joon reports.

◀ Report ▶

The ROK and Japan will hold director-general-level consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today in Seoul.

We are here to discuss details regarding the Fukushima contaminated water site inspection team agreed at the Korea-Japan summit on the 7th.

From the Korean side, Yoon Hyun-soo, director of the Climate, Environment, Science and Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be the chief representative, and figures from related ministries and organizations such as the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will attend.

In today’s discussion, it is expected that the two sides will coordinate specific details regarding the scale and schedule of the inspection team to be dispatched on the 23rd, visiting facilities and scope of activities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We plan to consult with the Japanese side to confirm the matters necessary for scientific stability analysis of contaminated water treatment facilities and discharge facilities.”

However, regarding the nature of the inspection team, Japan has already stated that it is not evaluating safety.

Right after the summit, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura stated that the inspection team was only to help South Korea understand, and was not an activity to evaluate the safety of contaminated water.

[니시무라 야스토시/일본 경제산업상 (지난 9일)]

″As a response to deepen Korea’s understanding, it is not an evaluation and confirmation of the safety of treated water like the IAEA review.″

Therefore, in today’s consultation, it seems that there will not be a small difference in position between the two countries regarding the scope of the inspection team’s activities.

In the midst of this, Japan has repeatedly confirmed its position that it will start discharging contaminated water this summer as planned.

Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, the Japanese government spokesman, said yesterday that he would explain the current status of contaminated water in Fukushima to the South Korean government, but said there would be no change in the discharge schedule.

This is Ryu Hyun-joon from MBC News.