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| ▲ South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida receive questions from reporters during a joint press conference at the presidential office in Seoul on May 7, 2023. During their talks, Yoon and Kishida agreed to allow a group of South Korean experts to visit Japan to inspect the planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. (Yonhap) |
S Korea-Fukushima inspection
S. Korea to 'thoroughly' prepare for upcoming Fukushima water inspection: ministry
SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will thoroughly prepare for an upcoming inspection of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, calling it a "very meaningful" step to allay safety concerns over Tokyo's water discharge plan.
According to the ministry, a team of South Korean experts plans to inspect the crippled plant from May 23-24 amid mounting worries over Tokyo's plan to release the stored contaminated water into the ocean in the near future.
"(We) believe it is very meaningful to send a group consisting of South Korean experts independently to conduct an on-site inspection at the Fukushima plant, separately from the IAEA, to dispel our people's concerns," Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for the ministry, said during a regular press briefing.
The government will "thoroughly prepare" for the dispatch, including forming the team of experts, he added.
Seoul and Tokyo are in the process of arranging a working-level meeting later this week to discuss details over the inspection. The entirety of the trip could span about four days when including travel.
On Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to allow South Korean experts to inspect the Fukushima plant during a summit meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol, a move seen as a goodwill gesture by Japan amid warming relations between the two countries.
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