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Japanese envoy accepts DP's request for info sharing on irradiated water release: party chief
By YonhapPublished : Oct. 22, 2020 - 16:19
The head of South Korea's ruling party met with the top Japanese envoy to Seoul on Thursday and requested that Tokyo share all information on its planned release of contaminated water from a disabled nuclear power plant in Fukushima, the party leader said.
"I urged that all information regarding the disposal of the Fukushima (Daiichi) nuclear power plant's contaminated water should be disclosed transparently and the country should proceed with the plan with consent from the international community," Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the Democratic Party (DP) told reporters.
The remarks followed his meeting with Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koji Tomita at the National Assembly earlier in the day.
Lee said the Japanese envoy accepted his request.
"Although the Japanese government's policy has yet to be fixed, I'm well aware of South Korea's concerns. I accept Chairman Lee's request," the chairman quoted the ambassador as telling him.
The ambassador also reminded the party leader about the International Atomic Energy Agency's previous conclusion that releasing the water is technically possible and in compliance with international practice, according to Lee.
Tokyo has been reported to have decided to discharge over one million tons of contaminated water from the defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant, damaged in a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, into the ocean.
The plan is expected to be made official during a meeting of related government officials slated for Tuesday next week, possibly causing diplomatic tension with neighboring countries.
During the meeting, the Japanese diplomat also expressed a wish to revive bilateral exchanges and resume air routes between the countries, the chairman said.
But Lee responded skeptically because he said "such economic countermeasures, taken in the aftermath of the countries' diplomatic row over Japan's forced mobilization (of Korean workers during World War II), cannot be resolved separately."
The officials also shared their determination to work toward better Seoul-Tokyo relations.
"There cannot be any objection to (the need for) bilateral cooperation between South Korea and Japan. I wish we could work hard together with a shared goal," Lee was also quoted as telling Tomita during the meeting.
The ambassador, in response, said, "I very much agree on the importance of the bilateral relationship. On the opportunity of the launch of the new Japanese government by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, I will work hard to improve bilateral ties." (Yonhap)
"I urged that all information regarding the disposal of the Fukushima (Daiichi) nuclear power plant's contaminated water should be disclosed transparently and the country should proceed with the plan with consent from the international community," Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the Democratic Party (DP) told reporters.
The remarks followed his meeting with Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koji Tomita at the National Assembly earlier in the day.
Lee said the Japanese envoy accepted his request.
"Although the Japanese government's policy has yet to be fixed, I'm well aware of South Korea's concerns. I accept Chairman Lee's request," the chairman quoted the ambassador as telling him.
The ambassador also reminded the party leader about the International Atomic Energy Agency's previous conclusion that releasing the water is technically possible and in compliance with international practice, according to Lee.
Tokyo has been reported to have decided to discharge over one million tons of contaminated water from the defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant, damaged in a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, into the ocean.
The plan is expected to be made official during a meeting of related government officials slated for Tuesday next week, possibly causing diplomatic tension with neighboring countries.
During the meeting, the Japanese diplomat also expressed a wish to revive bilateral exchanges and resume air routes between the countries, the chairman said.
But Lee responded skeptically because he said "such economic countermeasures, taken in the aftermath of the countries' diplomatic row over Japan's forced mobilization (of Korean workers during World War II), cannot be resolved separately."
The officials also shared their determination to work toward better Seoul-Tokyo relations.
"There cannot be any objection to (the need for) bilateral cooperation between South Korea and Japan. I wish we could work hard together with a shared goal," Lee was also quoted as telling Tomita during the meeting.
The ambassador, in response, said, "I very much agree on the importance of the bilateral relationship. On the opportunity of the launch of the new Japanese government by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, I will work hard to improve bilateral ties." (Yonhap)
