June 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of South Korea has affirmed this Thursday that it foresees a “minimal impact” on its coasts due to the imminent release into the sea of the treated contaminated water from the Fukushima plant due to ocean currents.
Park Ku Yeon, deputy director of the office for the Coordination of Government Policies, has indicated that the authorities consider that South Korean waters “will be little affected” by this after a group of scientists have carried out a series of simulations in this regard.
In this sense, he has indicated that it is estimated that this water takes a decade to reach the South Korean coasts. “The reason why we are not going to be significantly affected is due to ocean currents, even despite being next to Japan,” Park said, according to information collected by the Yonhap news agency.
Thus, he has explained that the plant is located on the east coast of Japan, so the Kuroshio current would push the released water towards the west, towards the coasts of North America. From there, the current would push them south until finally reaching Asia again.
Park has indicated that there are studies that show that this water would reach the South Korean coasts within four to five years of its release, while noting that the radiation levels of South Korean waters have not changed in even ten years. despite the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.
The situation has sparked controversy between the fishing industry and the local population, prompting Seoul to hold weekly press conferences to discuss the matter in an attempt to reassure the public.
Sources consulted by the Japanese newspaper ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ point out that the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, plans to travel to the country to meet with the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and address the matter, although the Government has not yet confirmed the visit.
Since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami occurred in March 2011, large amounts of radioactive water have been accumulating at the Fukushima plant, where it has been mixed with rainwater and underground torrents.
The plan to release the polluted water — once it has been successfully treated — has met with strong opposition from numerous groups, including fishermen from China and South Korea, who fear for the future of their businesses.
About 1.33 million tons of treated water is stored at the facilities, which are almost at full capacity, according to data from the company that manages the Japanese plant.
