South Korea experts say more study needed on Japan’s nuclear water plan By Reuters

By Hyunhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean nuclear safety experts who visited Japan’s destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant on Wednesday said a detailed analysis was needed to verify Japan’s plan to release tons of polluted water into the sea.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, about 220 kilometers (130 miles) northeast of Tokyo, was destroyed by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which knocked out three reactors.

Japan plans to dump more than 1 million tons of contaminated water that was mainly used to cool reactors into the sea by around summer, sparking concern at home and abroad, especially in its fishing communities.

“Because of our closer location, we are reviewing whether Japan has a suitable offloading plan from a scientific and technological point of view,” said Yoo Guk-hee, chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, who led a delegation on a site visit last week. surround.

The Japanese utility responsible for the plant, and the Japanese government, say the water is safe after it has been treated, filtered and diluted even though it contains traces of tritium.

Yu said progress has been made in examining the facilities and securing samples and documentation, but more work is needed to reach any conclusion about the safety of the water.

“More detailed analyzes and reviews are needed,” he said.

The 21-member South Korean team focused during their six-day trip on water purification, transportation and release equipment, as well as sampling and analysis facilities.

The visit comes days after President Yun Sok-yul and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit in Seoul this month amid an improvement in relations after years of tension between the two neighbours, both important allies of the United States.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is also conducting a safety review of Japan’s water release plan. Results are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.