SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of people marched through the South Korean capital on Saturday demanding Japan drop its plan to discharge treated sewage from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, as the chief of the UN nuclear agency met with senior officials to discuss food safety concerns.
The protests came a day after the South Korean government formally approved the safety of Japanese plans, saying contamination levels in water pumped from the plant would be within acceptable standards and would not significantly affect South Korean seas as long as the plant’s processing systems work as designed.
The announcement is in line with the views of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which gave the green light to Japan’s discharge plans this week, saying the treated sewage would meet international safety standards and have negligible impacts on environment and health.
Braving the scorching summer heat and closely watched by police, protesters marched in long lines through a downtown Seoul commercial district, holding signs reading “We denounce the nuclear sewage disposal at sea of Fukushima!” and “We pit our lives against the discharge of the sea.” The marches were peaceful and there were no immediate reports of major clashes or injuries.
“Besides discharging the water into the sea, there is an option to store the water on their land, and other options are suggested,” said Han Sang-jin, spokesperson for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. , whose members represented many walkers.
He said allowing Japan to discharge the water “is like an international crime”.
The protests provided a tense backdrop to a meeting between IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, which was to include discussions about people’s fear of food contamination. The South Korean Foreign Ministry did not immediately release details of the talks.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Friday ahead of his flight to South Korea, Grossi said he was aware of the unrest in South Korea and was ready to communicate more actively with critics, including politicians from the South Korean opposition, to reduce concerns.
Hours later, he was greeted by dozens of angry protesters at an airport near Seoul. They denounced the IAEA’s support for the discharge plans, holding signs reading “Dismantle the IAEA!” » and « Fukushima sewage will definitely lead all mankind to disaster!
On Sunday, Grossi was due to meet with lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Party, which has harshly criticized Japan’s exit plans and accused South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative government of endangering the nation’s health while desperately trying to improve relations with Tokyo. .
The safety of Fukushima’s sewage has been a sensitive issue for years among US allies. South Korea and Japan have worked in recent months to mend relations long strained by historic wartime grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and China’s assertive foreign policy.
South Korea’s assessment of the safety of the rejection plan was partly based on observations by a team of government scientists who were allowed to visit the Fukushima plant in May.
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Associated Press video reporter Yong Jun Chang contributed to this report.