2023-05-14 22:42:00
ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2023.05.15 07:42
While South Korea and Japan have increased the period of on-site activities of the Korean expert inspection team to inspect the issue of contaminated water discharge from the Fukushima nuclear power plant from two days to four days, they are continuing working-level discussions on the scope and method of inspection.
Japan plans to purify radioactively contaminated rainwater and groundwater to a level that is harmless to the human body and the marine environment and release it into the ocean as early as July. Cesium and strontium are removed by the multi-nuclide removal system (ALPS), and tritium (tritium) is diluted with seawater. In this case, Japan uses the term “ALPS-treated water” instead of contaminated water, assuming that the contaminated water meets the safety standards for ocean discharge.
Still, there are growing voices within South Korea that the government should re-examine Japan’s release plans in a scientific and objective way. This is because transparency is necessary to trust the “scientific and objective criteria” emphasized by Japan. In response, Korea and Japan held a director-general-level meeting on the 12th and agreed to dispatch an inspection team of regarding 20 people for four days.
◆ “Necessary to check the operation of contaminated water purification equipment”
The South Korean government is negotiating with Japan to expand the right of access to related facilities and cleanup information so that the inspection team can carry out activities equivalent to de facto safety verification. The government’s stance is that, “Separately from the official verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency, additional inspections are needed to see if Japan’s contaminated water purification equipment is working properly,” said Song Ae-geun, vice minister of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, on the 13th. At the director-general-level meeting on the 12th, the South Korean side reportedly emphasized that the inspection team should inspect the functions of purification facilities including the Alps, the ability to observe the process of purifying contaminated water, and the operational status of facilities related to the discharge of contaminated water.
The problem is that the release of contaminated water is not an issue between South Korea and Japan, but an international issue. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), not individual states, has the authority to verify the process of purifying and releasing contaminated water. In July 2021, the IAEA formed an international verification team made up of nuclear experts from 11 countries, including Korean expert Kim Hong-seok, senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety. The IAEA investigative team plans to release the final report in June following the five interim reports it has released since May last year.
◆ Japan emphasizes “explanation” rather than “verification”
In particular, Japan is concerned that if it grants the South Korean inspection team verification authority, it will set a precedent for other countries to request similar verification procedures. The Pacific Island Nations Forum (PIF), which sent an inspection team to the Fukushima nuclear power plant ahead of South Korea, and Taiwan also participated in a briefing session hosted by Japan, ending with a schedule to inspect the undersea tunnel and contaminated water tank. This is why the Japanese government has drawn a line between the nature of the South Korean inspection team and its role as “explanation to deepen understanding” rather than “safety verification.”
A government official said, “Not only is Japan not obliged to accept the verification requests of individual countries, but such individual verification itself will result in a loss of trust in the IAEA verification process.” Separately, we are striving to expand the right of access to facilities, emphasizing that a thorough inspection by the inspection team can dispel public concerns.”
◆ 12-hour meeting to “additional consultation”
Japan called the 12th director-general-level meeting “briefing session.” He emphasized that the Fukushima contaminated water release issue is not a matter for discussion with specific countries such as South Korea.
South Korea and Japan are planning to hold another video conference as early as this week to discuss the scope and standards of the inspection team. However, considering Japan’s stubborn stance, it is expected that it will be difficult for the South Korean delegation to access facilities that can inspect the contaminated water purification process and to directly measure the degree of pollution before it is released into the ocean. . A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, “We plan to have additional discussions at a teleconference between working-level officials as soon as possible and determine the necessary matters related to the visit of the delegation to Japan.”
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