The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) met this Saturday with the head of South Korean diplomacy in Seoul, where hundreds of protesters contested the Japanese plan to release treated water from the Fukushima plant into the sea.
Rafael Grossi, leader of the IAEA, arrived in the South Korean capital on Friday after having been in Japan where the agency gave the ‘green light’ to Tokyo’s controversial plan to discharge into the ocean the waters of the nuclear power plant that suffered an accident in 2011 .
This Saturday, demonstrators gathered in central Seoul to denounce the analysis, which they consider “insufficient”, by the IAEA, at the time when Grossi was meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Park Jin. Posters were displayed criticizing the IAEA, accusing it of having made the report “under the influence of Japan”.
Grossi defended himself against the criticism by claiming that there was a “very thorough” approval process at the agency.
“This is the full final report (…). No expert told me they disagreed with the content,” he said in an interview with South Korean news agency Yonhap. “It was a very thorough process,” she added.
South Korean opposition deputies also rallied against the Tokyo plan, and some began a hunger strike. Grossi is due to meet opposition members on Sunday.
South Korea said it respected the agency’s decision despite growing protests in the country.
On Friday, the South Korean government said Japan’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea meets international standards, provided it is implemented as planned.
Source: https://observador.pt/2023/07/08/manifestantes-em-seul-contestam-descarga-de-agua-da-central-nuclear-de-fukushima/
