South Korean President Moon Jae-in has told government officials to look at taking Japan to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over the country’s plans to dump contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean.
Speaking at a briefing, Moon’s spokesman, Kang Min-seok, told the media that officials will explore how to prevent the Japanese plan from proceeding, including filing an injunction to block the water from being dumped into the Pacific Ocean.
President Moon’s response comes after South Korean officials called in Tokyo’s ambassador to Seoul, Koichi Aiboshi, to chastise the Japanese government for failing to consult other countries before making a decision that could impact “people’s health and the marine environment.”
“There are many concerns here about the decision, as a country that is geologically closest and shares the sea with Japan,” Moon told Aiboshi, according to Kang’s remarks.
Alongside South Korea’s talks with Japan and its plan to challenge the decision to dump the water, Seoul has criticized Washington, DC after the US State Department sided with Tokyo and declared the decision was in line with international safety standards.
The Japanese envoy publicly addressed South Korea’s opposition in comments shared with local media outlets, arguing that their research indicates that releasing the treated water “will not have an adverse impact on the marine environment.”
On Tuesday, Japan revealed plans to release around one million tons of tritium-contaminated wastewater – created by the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear power plant a decade ago – into the sea, sparking cries of opposition from its neighbors, South Korea and China.
China’s Foreign Ministry has reacted to Japan and America’s joint belief that the proposal is safe by mockingly suggesting the wastewater should be shipped to America instead.
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