South Korea Says Radiation Levels Below WHO Standards After Fukushima Release

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant sits in coastal towns of both Okuma and Futaba, as seen from the Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, northeastern Japan, on March 2, 2022. (Hiro Komae/AP Photo)

South Korea’s Ocean Ministry said on Aug. 27 that tests carried out on the country’s seawater showed radiation levels remain below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standards for drinking water.

Radiation tests were conducted for the first time at 15 locations near South Korea’s waters after Japan began releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea on Aug. 24.

The ministry has only released the results of radiation tests conducted at five locations, which showed the concentration levels of the radioactive isotope of cesium-135 and cesium-137 were 0.067-0.094 and 0.077-0.098 becquerel per liter, respectively.

The concentration levels of tritium, a radionuclide inseparable from water, were between 6.6-7.1 becquerel per liter. These are below the WHO’s standard of 10 becquerels per liter for drinking water.

Yonhap News Agency (YNA) reported that South Korea intends to conduct thorough radiation testing at 92 locations and expedited testing at 108 locations amid concerns over the impact of the Fukushima water release.

The ministry has also launched a “100-day intensive inspection” of imported seafood products to ensure that importers, distributors, and retailers label the origin of seafood items coming into the country.

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“The government has been monitoring the country of origin marking all year round. But we will carry out a special probe on an unprecedented level as concerns are growing over the distribution system of Japanese and other imported seafood,” Vice Oceans Minister Park Sung-hoon told reporters on Aug. 28.

According to YNA’s report, South Korea’s seafood imports from Japan reached approximately 10,710 tons in the first half of this year, accounting for 2 percent of the country’s total seafood imports.

Members of civic groups shout slogans during a rally to oppose the Japanese government's plan to release treated radioactive water into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 12, 2023. (Lee Jin-man/AP Photo)

The plant was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The Fukushima water release has been strongly opposed by fishing groups and criticized by neighboring countries. In response, China immediately banned seafood imports from Japan, adding to worries in the fisheries community and related businesses.

In Seoul on Aug. 26, thousands of South Koreans took to the streets to condemn the release of wastewater and to criticize the South Korean government for endorsing the plan. They called on Japan to store radioactive water in tanks instead of releasing it into the Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, Japanese fishing groups fear the release will do more harm to the reputation of seafood from the Fukushima area.

The Japanese government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), have said that the water must be released to make way for the facility’s decommissioning and prevent accidental leaks of insufficiently treated water. Much of tank-held water still contains radioactive materials exceeding releasable levels.

TEPCO said the release will take 30 years or until the end of the plant decommissioning. People fear that could mean a tough future for youths in the fishing town, where many businesses are family-run.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.